Epiphone Guitars are made in Gibson’s own factory in Asia. A few Epiphone Les Pauls have a mahogany bolt-on neck, but most models use the traditional mahogany set-neck design of true Gibson Les Pauls. A good number of Epiphone Les Pauls have a high quality rosewood fingerboard, though some are made with pau ferro.

For the typical beginner, in my opinion the Les Paul Player Pack is your best bet. This includes the Epi Les Paul Special II LE electric guitar, a solid instrument to get you started. It has a pair of hot humbuckers for that rich tone you expect from a Les Paul, and that classic shape Gibson made famous.

THE EPIPHONE LES PAUL STANDARD GUITAR IS A MAINSTAY ON THE MUSIC SCENE. The exceptional hardware has been designed to withstand decades of touring and the fact they’re cheaper than their bigger brother, the Gibson Les Paul, makes them a great guitar for fans of that LP look and sound.

1. Epiphone Les Paul Standard ’50s. Setting the standard.
2. Epiphone Les Paul Special Vintage Edition.
3. Epiphone 1959 Les Paul Standard Outfit.
4. Epiphone Les Paul Special.
5. Epiphone Les Paul Prophecy.
6. Epiphone Les Paul Modern.
7. Epiphone Tommy Thayer Les Paul Outfit.
8. Epiphone Les Paul Custom Limited Edition in Silverburst.

1. Epiphone Les Paul Studio LT Electric Guitar — Best Epiphone Les Paul for the Money

• Very cheap.
• Great sustain.
• Excellent tone.

Epiphones sound really, really good, and they do indeed have that deep, rich Les Paul sound, but of course, they are not on par with a Gibson. The new ProBucker pickups have really improved the Epiphone Les Paul Standard.

• #1 Slash “AFD” Les Paul Performance Pack, Appetite Amber.
• #2 Epiphone DR 100 Acoustic Guitar, Ebony.
• #3 Epiphone Les Paul Studio LT Electric Guitar, Ebony.
• #4 Epiphone Hummingbird PRO Acoustic-Electric Guitar, Faded Cherry.
• #5 Epiphone DOT Semi-Hollow Electric Guitar, Cherry Red.
• #6 Epiphone SG Standard ’61, Vintage Cherry.

That’s kind of the point of this article – Epiphone guitars are certainly good enough for the pros. If you want to grab a stock Les Paul Custom and change the pickups go for it, but you don’t have to. Bjorn Gelotte of In Flames playing his Epiphone Les Paul Custom signature guitar.

If you picked up a US-made Gibson and compared it to an Epiphone then you would probably notice a difference. The quality, setup and finish on a Gibson will almost always be superior. However, today’s mass-produced guitars are far better than those made a few decades ago.

Acoustic Guitars. Yamaha seem to take the lead over Epiphone when it comes to acoustic guitars. Looking at sales figures alone Yamaha sell much greater volumes of acoustics. Epiphone still make some good low-priced options, but don’t have the variety in their range that Yamaha offer, and have lower sales overall.