However, it’s fairer to say that some of the most esteemed guitar players have chosen to stick with it due to its remarkable pickup systems and tonewoods.
The guitar is renowned for its iconic shape and sound. More modern established guitarists such as Bling 182’s Tom Delonge and Jefferson Airplane’s Jack Casady also famously use the Epiphone Les Paul. They’re readily available and drastically cheaper for bulk purchases, including famous rockstars such as ex-Oasis singer Noel Gallagher and Nick Valensi of The Strokes.
Many top-class guitarists primarily use Epiphone’s Les Paul axes for touring. The original Les Paul is arguably one of the most iconic guitars reimagined with Epiphone’s fresh ideas. After which, the brand was privy to Gibson’s exquisite technologies and premium artisans. Pushing the tone back up to full with some overdrive gives us a near perfect bluesy-rock lead sound.The Gibson company acquired Epiphone in 1957. “The neck pickup rings like a bell with the tone rolled back for that famous intro, outputting all the nuanced interaction and harmonics between the strings as we go. Epiphone Slash Collection Les Paul Standard: The web says MusicRadar verdict: With a choice of finishes, superb spec and a tone that’ll welcome you to the jungle, the Epiphone Slash Les Paul is a no-brainer for GNR super-fans and a very attractive proposition for anyone searching for serious but affordable Les Paul.
The pickups might have a little more animalism than many stock LPs but it has a typically dynamic voice that works well in any company. How you choose to use yours, what style you’d play, that is up to you. What the Slash name guarantees you is the imprimatur of the connoisseur. It’s just as well because many players will be buying into this collection for easy access to those tones.īut we’d argue that the best thing about these is not Slash’s name on the headstock it’s Les Paul’s. Roll it back until it’s just gone clean and put it through an analogue chorus pedal and that Paradise City intro starts to come alive.įor the siren wail of Sweet Child O’ Mine – an essential tone for wedding band players, and an interesting one for everyone else to fool around with – your neck pickup is your friend. Roll the volume back and it cleans up nicely. Sure, select that bridge humbucker and through it through an overdriven Marshall guitar amp and you’ve got that heady sound of late-‘80s sleaze, so decadent that with the right break up and EQ you’ve got an almost cocked wah sound to it, with just the right amount of aggression without overpowering things. If the Tribute’s main goal is to offer players a taste of Gibson’s greatest legacy and access to sounds at the heart of many a classic recording – at a fraction of the cost – then it’s undoubtedly a resounding success. And all this at a price that is impossible to argue with. Does it cover the signature Slash tones?Įpiphone gets the details right on this 50s Les Paul Standard. Those looking for a vintage-inspired feel and a spiky, rock-friendly sound will find a lot to like here. This allied to the generous C profile of the neck might intimidate some players, but just size down on the strings for a slinkier feel and we’d wager that the neck profile will grow more comfortable over time. Slash also plays his hard and favours a set of 11-48 gauge strings. Slash doesn’t go in for all that weight-relief business he’ll take them just as they come, and this feels like a substantial instrument. You'll be glad you got the thicker strap when you shoulder this Les Paul. Is that what we’ll get here? Performance and verdict Think PAF but more carnivorous, with a little more heat. The controls are as you would expect, with volume and tone controls for each pickup, with Epiphone deploying a pair of Custom ProBucker Alnico 2 humbuckers to replicate the Custom BurstBuckers that were in turn wound to replicate the pickups on Slash’s touring Les Pauls. Under the hood, you’ll find CTS pots and Orange Drop capacitors. In the case you’ll find some Epiphone strap locks. The jack is framed nicely by a cream plastic square plate matching the cream gold stamped ‘Rhythm/Treble’ washer around the pickup selector switch. We’ve got a Graph Tech nut and LockTone Tune-O-Matic bridge and Stop Bar tailpiece. Epiphone has not scrimped on the hardware and components.