Product Features
* Basswood body
* 700T Humbucker pickups
* Rosewood fretboard
* 24.75 Scale
Product Description
That trademark Les Paul shape in an economical package, including to open-coil Alnico V Humbucker pickups for great classic sound and the Tune-o-matic bridge/Stopbar tailpiece combo for sustain and that Les Paul signature tone.
Les Paul Features in an Economical Package.
Angled Headstock
Unlike cheaper designs, all Epiphones feature a 14-degree headstock that gives you more pressure at the nut and so you get more sustain with less tuning hang-ups caused by "string-tree" gadgets.
Double-Waxed Pickups
Epiphone utilizes a double vacuum waxing process that ensures optimum performance. The pickup is first placed in the specialized wax vacuuming system before the cover is put in place to ensure that the wax fully penetrates to the very center of the pickup and solidifies all parts. After the cover is placed on, it is again given a second vacuum wax bath until the unit is completely saturated with wax.
Output Jack
To increase reliability and ensure consistent performance, Epiphone's proprietary output jacks feature an improved contact shape and heavy-duty spring steel.
Toggle Switches
All Epiphones feature our all-metal, USA designed switches for reliable contact and longer life.
Tunomatic Bridge
Fully adjustable, the tunomatic remains a classic after over 50 years. Unlike guitars fitted with tremolos, there are no tuning or re-stringing difficulties. Plus, tone and sustain are improved because all string vibrations are transferred directly to the guitar.
Potentiometers
Epiphone is passionate about performance. That's why their instruments use one-inch diameter potentiometers for better "throw," longer life and reliable service.
Quick-Connectors
For unequalled reliability as well as ease of service, Epiphone wiring harnesses feature quick-connectors.
Specs
* Pickups: 700T, 650R
* Hardware: Chrome
* Scale: 24.75 inches
* Nut width: 1.68 inches
* Neck: Bolt, Mahogany
* Fretboard: Rosewood
* Inlays: Dot
* Body material: Basswood
* Tailpiece: Stopbar
* Finishes available: Ebony, White, Heritage Cherry Sunburst, Vintage Sunburst, Wine Red
Product Description
What's so special about the Epiphone Les Paul Special II Electric Guitar? The super-low price for starters and that's not all. It gives you all the essential elements of a Les Paul. Made with a mahogany body, bolt-on mahogany neck, smooth 22-fret rosewood fingerboard, this baby is every bit as handsome as its uptown cousins. Features 700T/650R open-coil humbucking pickups that deliver long, singing sustain and true Les Paul tones. The LockTone Tune-O-Matic bridge and stopbar tailpiece add more sustain and make string changing easier. Limited lifetime warranty.
Customer Reviews
By APC Reviews "APC Reviews" (USA)
The Epiphone LP Special II Les Paul Collection Electric Guitar is a GREAT GUITAR for $169.00 (The average selling price at the time of this review). The pickups, tune-o-matic bridge and stop piece are the same ones used in Epiphone's more expensive guitars, and are similar to what's used in much more expensive Gibsons. Although the tone adjustments have been simplified to a toggle between the three pickup combinations and an overall tone control for both pickups, this is not as big a deal as many might make of it. Given the vast array of other things that influence electric guitar sound -- strings, amp choice and settings, effects pedals and so forth -- the guitar sounds great as is.
The finish and general fit and balance of the guitar are great. There was a time when budget guitars screamed cheap and were quite obviously low class in a lot of areas. Those days are past with the Epiphone LP Special II.
All that said, there a few things to remember.
* The guitar comes with very light bendy strings. This is probably due to market data that tells Epiphone that the bulk of buyers for this guitar are teen Guitar Heros who think that string bending every note is an essential aspect of shredding and wailing. If you plan to put heavier strings on the guitar (like 12-51s for example) for jazz or other styles of music then you will probably need a truss rod adjustment to compensate for the added tension. If you don't know how to do this, ask someone who does. You can ruin a guitar, permanently, by being too aggressive with a truss rod adjustment.
* The guitar has a mahogany neck, but a basswood body. Do not let anyone tell you this is a bad thing. Basswood is a completely acceptable wood for musical instruments. It is not worse or better than mahogany or maple. It is just different. Once again, the differences involved will probably be irrelevant when added into all the other things that players do with amps, strings and pedals to create tone and sound from an electric guitar.
* Epiphone has more than one factory making these guitars. One is in China, the other in is Indonesia. The guitars made by each are very close in every detail, but not exactly, perfectly the same.
* The Chinese examples of the sunburst model that I have seen have a slightly golden-orange tone to the sunburst pattern, more like the traditional sunburst color in American guitars. The Indonesian examples I have seen have a much more over all orange look. Basswood does not have a lot of visible grain. The example guitar shown in the official Epiphone product photos, the photos you see on most web sites like Amazon and Musician's Friend and so forth, are probably a little optimistic when it comes to visible grain and the golden hued quality of the sunburst finish.
* The Chinese examples I have seen tend to weigh more. One Indonesian model I saw weighed a full pound and half less than the Chinese model right next to it. There is not, unfortunately, any way to tell from the box or from the barcode or SKU number on the box what factory a given example inisde the box came from. The system will deal out whatever is in stock at the moment.
The world is full of guys who will zero in on all the details they find inferior about this guitar by noting the rather obvious fact that this is not a Gibson Les Paul Standard costing $3,000.00. There are some people who will complain that this guitar has a bolt on neck. True, the set necks of the more expensive Epiphones and Gibsons are nicer. But, considering the fact that every Fender Stratocaster ever made had a bolt on neck, is this really a big deal? Would Jimi Hendrix have played "Purple Haze" better if his Strat had a set in neck? Probably not.
The guitar this model is probably closest to, in spirit and purpose, is not the Gibson Les Pauls but, rather, to the old Gibson Melody Maker guitars from the 60s. That said, this is a hell of lot more guitar for the money than any Melody Maker ever was, and adjusted for inflation, relative to what a Melody Maker would have cost you in 1968, for example, it is almost like Epiphone paying you to play it.
People listen to music, not guitars. Music is made by players, not by pickups and electronics. If you're on a budget, this is an outstanding choice. If you're not on a budget, it's still a very good basic instrument. RECOMMENDED.
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