by Gig Stig
Having owned this model of guitar for several months now I do feel qualified to pass judgement on this 1956 re-issued Epiphone Les Paul Goldtop model. The first thing that struck me on receiving this guitar was the immaculate intonation that it had, for the first time in a long time I was able to play exotic bar chord shapes way up the neck with every string in perfect pitch with 100% accurate tuning.
I bought it for two reasons, having tried it at the Nevada Music Warehouse, I loved the sound and was taken by the combination of the Gold Metallic finish combined with the cream coloured pick-ups. It had some kind of modernist retro-chique look that pushed my buttons and forced me to take the plunge, it was also the best Les Paul copy that I had played.
At home in my studio I play this guitar through a Line 6 Spider Valve combo and it sounds fabulous, the P90's - although officially single coil pick-ups, have plenty of sustain and low mid range gain for those raunchy power chords and open string 5ths that sound nice and fat and fill out the sound pallette. I also like the smaller body of the Les Paul and the flat, smooth neck that is tapered and slim - it seems to suit my playing style particularly for solos ...
All in all I'm very happy with this guitar, sound wise it offers something different to the traditional hum-buckers used on most of the Epiphone Les Paul range thanks to the P90's. If you're a Les Paul lover but don't have the budget for the Gibson model, I can thouroughly recommend this instrument and it's available at the Nevada Music Warehouse to try ...