Epiphone Les Paul Special II Heritage Cherryburst Electric guitar

by Gig Stig

As I’ve explained further up the page, the main difference between the LP Special and the Special II are the raw materials used on the body of the instrument. As the Special II uses a laminated Alder and Maple body the guitar feels slightly less like a Les Paul as it is much lighter when worn with a strap. I’m not sure if this is a psychological trait but having got used to that heaviness and density of Les Paul’s with a Mahogany body, this just doesn’t feel quite right.

On the flip side, this is an entry level Les Paul aimed at the beginner or novice player which for the most part will be made up of enthusiastic teenagers. So perhaps creating a Les Paul that is slightly lighter may not be such a bad thing after all. Sound wise this guitar is still very good when taking the price into consideration, the hum-bucking pick-ups kick out a considerable amount of gain with the usual Les Paul mid-range creaminess.

Tonally the variation is perhaps not as wide as on the more expensive Epiphone models but it’s worth remembering that this instrument was made to a specific budget, and therefore there will undoubtedly be elements where it doesn’t quite measure up to its bigger brothers.However it plays well, is well made and for the price this is a fine starter instrument.