The Best Epiphone Les paul

Epiphone Les Pauls are known to be one of the most popular electric guitar styles in history, and for good reason. This article looks at the best versions of the classic Epiphone Les Paul – there are many out there!

Les Paul guitars were introduced in 1952, originally by the Gibson Guitars brand. Epiphone is a sub-company of Gibson and is known to produce guitars of the same style but at much more affordable prices. Gibsons often cost 10 x the price of a new Epiphone guitar, of the same model.

Gibson Les Pauls are highly sought after, often incredibly expensive instruments. The Gibson Les Paul custom is widely recognized as one of the best guitars ever made… but also one of the most expensive.

Thankfully Epiphone put this beautiful instrument in the hands of more musicians, making them more affordable, but retaining a high level of quality. Les Paul has been favored by many musicians, including Peter Green, Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page, and Joe Bonamassa.

I tested 7 products and found the Epiphone Les Paul Player Pack today! to be the Best Epiphone Les paul.

This is easily one of my favorite Epiphone Les Paul models. This pack includes a Les Paul Special, which is great for beginners and intermediate players. This kist is a great entry into the world of electric guitar and contains an amp, cables, and all the other tools you need to start rocking. 

The guitar itself is well made, feels and sounds nice, and will be a great addition to any guitarist’s catalog. 

I’ve always loved Epiphones, particularly the Les Paul.

My first Epiphone guitar was the SG, another iconic guitar. I’ve owned a few Les Pauls guitars in my time, and the Epiphone versions always stood out to me. You can find many Les Paul style guitars, from all kinds of guitar manufacturers. Not all of them are very good though, and you’ll often find cheaper imitation brands don’t live up to the normal quality of Les Pauls.

With Epiphone’s you can trust the quality, these aren’t some cheap Chinese knock off, these are made with direction from the original designers of the Les Paul – Gibson.

We loved the Epiphone Les Paul Player Pack and LP Studio for many reasons. 

I chose this LP as the best on the list mostly due to the value for money. It might not be the showiest or full-featured guitar, but it’s a reliable workhorse that achieves a strong tone for a small price. For a more professional instrument, I’d look at something like the Epiphone Les Paul Modern, or even the Epiphone Les Paul Standard. 

This guitar pack also comes in several finishes, from sunburst to flat black and more. 

The best Epiphone Les Paul for you depends on your style, skill level, budget, and taste.

There are a staggering amount of Epiphone Les Paul variations out there! It’s not just a different finish and colors either, you’ll see a lot of different pickups, shapes, and sizes being used, and a wide array of hardware styles. 

Keep reading for our full review of the Best Epiphone Les paul!

Alternatively, check out our roundup of the best guitars for beginners.

Or for a fascinating deep dive into the world of modern instrumentation, have a read of our post looking at the best carbon fiber guitars. 

Best Epiphone Les paul in our tests

• Epiphone Limited Edition Les Paul Special-I Electric Guitar Worn TV Yellow
• Epiphone Les Paul Special VE Solid-Body Electric Guitar
• Epiphone Les Paul Custom Classic Pro (Alpine White)
• Epiphone Les Paul Studio LT Electric Guitar
• Epiphone Les Paul Electric Guitar Player Pack (Vintage Sunburst)
• Epiphone Les Paul Studio Wine Red
• Epiphone Les Paul Prophecy

Best Epiphone Les paul Reviewed in Detail

1. Epiphone Limited Edition Les Paul Special-I Electric Guitar Worn TV Yellow

The Epiphone Limited Edition Les Paul Special-I Electric Guitar Worn TV Yellow is a worthy tribute to the original, which was designed in 1954.

This limited edition Epiphone Les Paul is a one-of-a-kind design. The guitar features a TV Yellow finish, which comes from the retro models. Gibson used this yellow to show up well on old-fashioned TV sets in the early days of broadcast.

The Epiphone Limited Edition Les Paul Special-I is a special run of the world’s most iconic guitar. Featuring a TV Yellow finish, this limited edition guitar is perfect whether you’re looking for something to stand out or something that matches your instrument collection. This historically accurate instrument is a great modernization of one of the classics.

Originally released in 1958, the Les Paul Special-I was the first SG-style guitar to feature two humbucker pickups. With a mahogany body, set mahogany neck, and rosewood fretboard, this limited edition guitar is a must-have for any guitarist looking for something unique.

This electric guitar features two TV-yellow humbucking pickups and two volume and two tone controls. Its neck is made from mahogany and its fretboard is built from rosewood.

It features a TV Yellow finish, two TV Yellow P-90 pickups, and a SlimTaper D-profile neck.

Product Specifications:

• Body Material: Mahogany
• Fretboard: 23 x Rosewood
• Pickup Configuration: 2 x Epiphone TV Humbuckers.

Pros & Cons:

• Eye-catching, iconic and historic TV yellow finish
• Faithful design to original Gibson Les Paul Model.
• High sound quality, affordable and feels great.
• Limited circuit controls. 
• No scratchplate.

Verdict:

If you’re looking for an electric guitar that is versatile, comfortable, and sounds great, this guitar is a great choice. The Ephone TV Special is a unique and historic guitar with a sweet aesthetic and even sweeter vibes.

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2. Epiphone Les Paul Special VE Solid-Body Electric Guitar

The Epiphone Les Paul Special VE solid-body electric guitar offers legendary Les Paul tone and performance with classic styling. With a weight of 9 pounds, it’s easy to see why the Les Paul Special VE is the choice of many pro players.

This model features two humbucking pickups, a mahogany body with a maple top, and a bolt-on mahogany neck with a 1960s SlimTaper profile.

This Les Paul is a solid, well-made guitar. There isn’t much to say here other than you’ll be happy with what you get for the price. It has all the features you need for a great guitar tone and feels nice to play. There are no major issues with it, although the visual style is a little simple for some tastes. 

Product Specifications:

• Body Material: Mahogany
• Top Material: Maple
• Fretboard: 22 x Rosewood
• Pickup Configuration: 2 x Humbucker

Pros & Cons:

• Punchy Humbuckers
• Very comfortable to play, great action.
• A high-quality feeling neck with Slim Taper profile.

Verdict:

The Epiphone Les Paul Special VE is the quintessential rock guitar. If you’re looking for an electric guitar that is versatile, comfortable, and easy to play, then look no further than the Epiphone Les Paul Special VE.

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3. Epiphone Les Paul Custom Classic Pro (Alpine White)

This Epiphone Les Paul Custom is a limited-edition update of one of the most popular guitars in the world, with historic Les Paul styling and a hand-selected, hand-aged finish. This modern classic starts with a mahogany body and a 1960’s SlimTaper D profile neck with a rosewood fingerboard for fast action and unbelievable tone. 

The ProBucker pickups provide all the bite and high-output power you’ll need to hold down a gripping rock concert.

All of the classic Les Paul stylings are here, along with some improved features like ProBucker open-coil humbuckers with push/pull coil-splitting. You’ll fall in love with the vintage style of this guitar, and the quality is second-to-none.

Featuring excellent pickups, ProBucker open-coil humbuckers,  with push/pull coil-splitting for switching into single-coil modes. These provide a huge tonal range. You can switch these from chunky fat to cutting thin, so you’ll never have to worry about being stuck without your dream guitar tone again.  The Les Paul Custom lets you set the tone and volume separately for each pickup and split them for single-coil sounds or more humbucker bite

With limited units available, the Epiphone Les Paul Custom is a Les Paul with limitless potential. It’s got the looks and feels of a historic Gibson, with fantastic pickups and classic controls. It’s not just for rockers, this guitar is great for country licks, jazz cats, and blues players alike.

This guitar just looks sexy, with antiqued binding and either ivory or ebony finish with a rosewood fingerboard. You can find some models with an ebony fingerboard. The Epiphone Deluxe Tuners keep fantastic tuning stability, and the overall quality feels very high. 

Product Specifications:

• Body Material: Mahogany
• Fretboard: Rosewood
• Pickup Configuration: 2 x Humbuckers

Pros & Cons:

• Eye-catching white look.
• Versatile pickups with coil-splitting, perfect for rock music.
• Can sound like any combination of single coils and humbuckers.
• Comfortable thin neck.

Verdict:

Overall, the Epiphone Les Paul Custom classic is one of the nicest Epiphone LP’s you can find, in my opinion anyway. The expanded electronic controls set this above the others, with the coil splitting feature making it extremely versatile and sculptable. You can make this guitar sound like it uses single coils or humbuckers, the choice is yours!

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4. Epiphone Les Paul Studio LT Electric Guitar

You’ve been waiting for this one! The Epiphone Les Paul Studio is a powerful and versatile electric guitar with a timeless and iconic look. 

Here’s that Les Paul you’ve been dreaming about. The Epiphone Les Paul Studio has all the great features of a classic LP with a couple of new twists. For start, the mahogany body and neck are joined at the 16th fret for better upper fret access. The brand-new Zebra-Coil Ceramic humbuckers provide plenty of raw power combined with warm, rich tones. It’s time to rock!

The Epiphone Les Paul Studio is a guitar with a lightweight body and a mahogany neck, perfect for players who want the look and style of a Les Paul but prefer to keep it on the lighter side. 

You get everything you would expect from a Les Paul, like the carved top, Humbuckers, stable bridge, and body weight which creates no worries of losing your grip or having your shoulder get worn out

These guitars are designed for the studio, which means they might have a sound slightly better for recording purposes. The vintage deluxe tuners give these Epiphone LPs fantastic tuning stability, and visually match up perfectly with the gold hardware.

Product Specifications:

– Body Material: Mahogany

– Fretboard: Mahogany

– Pickup Configuration: 2 X humbucker

Pros & Cons:

• Deep cutaway for upper fret access.
• Great sounding pickups.

Verdict:

The Epiphone Les Paul Studio guitar is a first-class choice for players of all levels and styles, and it includes the features and quality you expect from Epiphone. It’s got a mahogany body and neck, a carved top, and a sleek satin finish. The two powerful zebra-coil ceramic humbucking pickups provide everything from warm rhythm sounds to searing lead tones.

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5. Epiphone Les Paul Electric Guitar Player Pack (Vintage Sunburst)

Description: 

Introducing Epiphone’s Les Paul Special-II LE Electric Guitar Pack! With the Epiphone Les Paul Player Pack, it’s time to get started on your journey to guitar greatness. This pack has everything you need to get started including a genuine Les Paul Special-II LTD guitar, an amp, cables, and more! It’s got everything you need for your playing needs-from the basics to the essential extras.

As an incredible value package, this guitar pack is perfect for any new or intermediate guitar player who needs a powerful and nice feeling electric guitar. The Epiphone Les Paul Special-II LE features a mahogany body and a maple veneer top, a bolt-on mahogany neck with a 1960s SlimTaper profile neck for maximum comfort. 

In the pack, you’ll get an Epiphone Les Paul electric guitar, a clip-on headstock chromatic tuner, a guitar strap, medium picks, and an easy-to-carry gig bag. The Epiphone guitar amp goes pretty loud and has a decent amount of gain, distortion, and EQ.

The Epiphone Les Paul Player Pack is the perfect setup for any beginner or beginner guitarist, with everything you need to get started. Tuning it up is easy with the clip-on tuner, and there are plenty of songs to learn with the free downloadable lessons. The gig bag makes it easy to carry around wherever you go, and the strap lets you rock out standing up. 

The sound of this guitar alone is pretty good for the price. It doesn’t quite compete with the more expensive models or a Gibson Les Paul, but it’s more than enough for most players. It sounds and feels great, it’s affordable, and you get all the accessories you need. 

Product Specifications:

• Body Material: Mahogany
• Fretboard: Rosewood
• Pickup Configuration: 2 x humbucker

Pros & Cons:

• Player Pack comes with all the accessories you need, including an amplifier. 
• Well playing guitar with a versatile Les Paul sound.
• Strong, recognizable LP tone, great for rock music.
• One of the better affordable guitars Epiphone offers. 

Verdict:

Are you craving the sound of a vintage Les Paul but with modern updates? The Epiphone Les Paul Special II LE is your answer! From its solid body and comfortable cutaways to the Tune-o-Matic bridge and Epiphone Amp, this pack includes all the important tools you need to start rocking.

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6. Epiphone Les Paul Studio Wine Red

In 1947 Epiphone was granted permission by the Gibson Guitar Corp. to sell a slightly less expensive version of the Les Paul. It was designed to be a “student” or “beginner” guitar and sold for $49.50 ($342 in 2017 USD). 

This guitar is built with many famous essential features for professional guitar players, including a sturdy, resonant body, powerful pickups, and a comfortable neck profile. 

This Wine Red Les Paul studio is surely a gorgeous instrument, both in appearance and sound. The Les Paul Studio has a plain maple veneer top with a mahogany back and neck. The neck uses Epiphone’s SlimTaper D profile which feels fast and easy. The fretboard uses 22 frets, and is positioned well, so even the highest fret can be reached. 

The combination of these components gives the Epiphone Les Paul Studio a lot of sustain and resonance, perfect for any style of music. These guitars feel very well made. The way all the components are put together has a noticeably high level of attention to detail. These Epiphone guitars come as close rivals to some of the Gibson models. 

I think these guitars perform and feel much better than your average Les Paul. The price also  makes them a lot more accessible than the Gibson counterpart.

Product Specifications:

• Body Material: Maple and Mahogany
• Fretboard: Morado
• Pickup Configuration: 2 x Humbucker

Pros & Cons:

• Light, simplistic guitar.
• High quality, made effectively and efficiently.
• Strong, powerful tone, much better than other basic guitars from Epiphone.

Verdict:

The Epiphone Les Paul Studio is a stripped-down version of the world’s most famous guitar. Lightweight and great for studio work and easy to take on the road, this Epiphone is a classic with no extras.

Want the classic Les Paul tone with modern looks and no-frills? Get the Epiphone Les Paul Studio. This has a great sound, suitable for all styles of music, but particularly heavy and classic rock.

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7. Epiphone Les Paul Prophecy

Epiphone’s rendition of the classic Les Paul Prophecy with a carved top to deliver a tonal complexity and resonance that fits the lineage of the original. The Epiphone Les Paul Studio offers a spectacularly bold appearance, from its carved maple top to its sleek chrome hardware, and a vibrant open-back flame maple veneer. The carved-top Les Paul Prophecy also features a sleek transition from maple to mahogany, giving a change in tone.

Every guitar player has a guitar that’s always on their mind. And for many, that’s an Epiphone Les Paul. With the Les Paul Prophecy, Epiphone adds to its classic line of electric guitars with a model that brings together uncompromising quality with uncompromised value.

One of the most iconic guitars of all time now made better than ever. The Epiphone Les Paul Prophecy is made with a carved top for richer tone and resonance, powerful zebra-coil ceramic humbucker pickups for improved output, and a mahogany body and neck with a taper joint for improved playability. With the Epiphone Les Paul Studio, you’ll be ready to rock out anywhere you are.

For years, Epiphone has been known as the go-to guitar for blues and rockers. This Epiphone Les Paul Prophecy is a stripped-down version of one of the most famous guitars in the guitar world – but with all the quality you expect from Epiphone.

The Les Paul Prophecy is perfect for beginners and those who want a bare-bones rocker experience from one of the most legendary guitar companies in the world.  With its sleek mahogany body & flame maple veneer top, classic Les Paul styling, shiny humbucker pickups, and Tune-o-Matic bridge

Product Specifications:

• Body Material: Mahogany
• Fretboard: Mahogany
• Pickup Configuration: 2 x Humbucker

Pros & Cons:

• Classic Epiphone Les Paul tone.
• Gorgeous finish, binding, and hardware.
• Powerful humbucking pickups. 
• Extremely smooth neck action.
• Solid tuning stability.

Verdict:

You’ve always wanted to be a rock star. Now it’s time to stop dreaming and start playing. The Epiphone Les Paul Prophecy is the perfect guitar for aspiring musicians, delivering all the features of the original, without the price tag.

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Buying Guide: Choosing Epiphone Les Pauls

What to look for when buying Epiphone Les Pauls.

There are many types of Epiphone Les Paul on the market, so it can be hard to choose which is the perfect one for your musical needs.

There are many great guitars on the Epiphone lineup, and their Les Pauls are known to be some of their best. This next section helps you to work out what guitar is the best choice for you when selecting from the Epiphone brand. 

Pickups:

One of the most noticeable differences between Epiphone Les Pauls is the variation in pickups available. The style of pickups your guitar has creates a huge effect on the resulting tone, so make sure you choose the right type for your preferred style of music. 

Some Epiphones, including newer versions of the Epiphone Les Paul Standard feature coil-splitting technology, which lets you get the best of both tone worlds – the single coils and humbuckers.

Some other great pickups include the Epiphone Probucker, which are some tasty, punchy humbuckers included on several Epiphone guitars including the Epiphone Les Paul modern, and some of the other best Epiphone Les Pauls. Others come to use third-party pickups like Seymour Duncan, including their fantastic Alnico II Magnet range. 

In short, the best pickups are the ones that produce the tone you need. I recommend single coils for lead players and humbuckers for rhythm guitarists. 

Additional Features

Besides the standard Les Paul design, some new Epiphone Les Paul models include cool extra features, such as tremolo arms, floating bridges, built-in tuners, or even other electronic modifications. If you’re looking for an Epiphone version with great additional features, I suggest an Epiphone Les Paul Modern, or if you can afford it go for a Gibson Custom Shop! Some other Epiphone Les pauls have interesting extra functionality, so check out the full range before buying one!

Neck Shape

Epiphones are known to offer a wide variety of neck shapes. Whether it’s the super slim neck of the Les Paul Junior or one of the chunkier profiles found in other Epiphone Les Paul models, there’s a whole range to choose from.

Understanding the types of neck shapes available is an article in itself, and won’t fit here. For a full exploration of the topic, see our post about explaining the different types of guitar necks.

Are Epiphone Les Paul guitars good for beginners?

Absolutely. Besides the Squier Stratocaster, Epiphone Les Pauls are known to be one of the best guitar designs for beginners. They are designed to be incredibly comfortable to play and to sound great.

Les Pauls make great guitars for beginners for several reasons. Firstly, the neck shape and cutaway make the fretboard super easy to navigate and reduce string resistance. This makes holding chords and soloing a lot easier than other types of guitar, particularly acoustic guitars. 

Another reason is their shape and size. The Les Paul body is smaller and thinner than a lot of other guitar designs, such as the Stratocaster. This makes it lighter and easier to hold, which can reduce strain. This is great for beginners as it makes it less painful for them to play, especially over long periods. 

Conclusion

Overall, I thought the best Best Epiphone Les Paul was the Epiphone Les Paul Player Pack.

Ok, I know this isn’t just a guitar, but it includes the Epiphone Les Paul Special-II, which is excellent. 

The guitar itself is great, but the included accessories give this pack a brilliant value. If you’re looking for a new guitar kit, this is a great choice for those on a budget. It includes the LP guitar itself, a solid Ephone amplifier, and other accessories like strings, a strap, a gig bag, and more. 

Les Paul Special is a brilliant guitar for the price, it ticks all the boxes for beginner and intermediate players. It’s comparable to a Les Paul Junior, but with a few extra features, and a slightly more refined feeling. 

It sounds and feels great right from the start. The action and playability felt great without any setup needed. This is easily one of the best ways to get your hands on an Epiphone Les Paul.

This is a truly high-quality guitar, and the rest of the kit makes it stand out from competitors in the price range.  

Check out the Epiphone Les Paul Player Pack today!
Didn’t find the guitar of your dreams? Have a look at our other post, where we explore the best guitars for funk!