Epiphone Les Paul Standard Plus Top Review – How Close to Gibson Is It?

Even guitarists who play “Guitar Hero” know that the Gibson Les Paul is a symbol of rock and roll might. However, guitarists from a diversity of musical genres (blues, rock, jazz, and country) have preferred the Les Paul for its power and versatility.

The trouble for many of us, though, is that Gibson Les Pauls are a bit on the pricey side.

A new Les Paul Standard will cost over $2,000, an expensive musical investment to be sure. So what can we do?

Look At the Epiphone Les Paul Standard Plus!

Don’t let the “Made in Korea” sticker fool you. This Epiphone-branded Les Paul Standard Plus sounds, plays, and looks like its American-made equivalent. But how does it compare in every detail?

The guitar we surveyed had an utterly exquisite Transparent Blue top, which is laminate but nonetheless quite stunning. The top was complimented by attractive creme-colored binding and classy chrome hardware.

Aesthetically, the Epiphone Les Paul Standard Plus Top is just a gorgeous guitar.

Having owned a Gibson Les Paul Standard for a couple of years, I was curious to see how the Epiphone Les Paul would stack up, and I have to say that I was really impressed. The slim-tapered neck reminds me of the 1960 Gibson Les Paul Standard neck and in many ways was much faster than my Gibson Les Paul Standard with a 50′s style neck.

The fretwork overall is very well done, though possibly not as good as my Gibson. The rosewood fretboard had a real nice feel to it, and the frets were smooth and well-polished overall.

The Epiphone Les Paul Standard Plus Top boasts alnico classic pickups, which unquestionably capture the classic Les Paul Sound. Even So, I prefer switching pickups in most of my stock guitars, and the Epiphone is really no exception.

Let me stress that it emphatically wouldn’t be a “must,” but I would probably put Duncan JB and Jazz pickups in the guitar, since I’m partial to that set of pickups.

Honestly, I think the stock Epiphone pickups sound as good as most stock pickups I hear, and you may like them just the way they are. Don’t think that you have to budget for replacement pickups the way you would with some instruments, because that’s just not the case.

The compromises in a model such as this guitar aren’t readily apparent. Epiphone saves money by having a veneer flame top glued to non-flamed maple. Likewise, where Gibson Les Paul Standard bodies are made from a single mahogany slab, the Epiphone mahogany body is laminated, as is the neck.

Amazingly, these cost-cutting measures allow the instrument to weigh even less than its Gibson counterparts. For the price, the Epiphone Les Paul Standard Plus is a good sounding and easily playable Les Paul for a slim fraction of the cost of the Gibson equivalent.

If you are searching for a killer deal on an Epiphone Les Paul Standard Plus Top, then search no further! Ray’s Guitar Shop has the best deals on all new and used electric and acoustic guitars available online. Go visit Ray’s Guitar Shop today!