Just picked one of these up from a recent Guitar Center $99 guitar sale. Like many, I think I’ve always been put off a bit by the Epiphone name – not because of any first-hand experience, mind you — but, just because it always “seemed” that going for an Epiphone was really just settling for another cheap Gibson copy. So, maybe (probably) it was for that reason that I had never even given one a try.
In any case, we were looking for a theme for our first SoundGrounds episode – and this $99 sale seemed to be as safe a time as any to test one of those Epiphone’s out. Having been dreaming of a Gibson Les Paul Special / Melody-Maker, I was happy to find the Epi Special was part of the sale. Granted, I was only buying and testing one of their “cheapest” models – and my expectations were not very high.
As for the buying experience – I’m not a big fan of Guitar Center’s web site. It is far, far, behind the quality and thoroughness of the Sweetwater site. I’m still baffled as to why GC does not put more effort into their online business – but, they were the only one that carried this particualr Epiphone model (and even the used ones on eBay were priced higher – before adding shipping). Guitar Center doesn’t instill a lot confidence in their attention to detail – and you can expect zero to no customer service or human follow-up on any order. In contrast to Sweetwater, where you’ll always receive personal service – have a high-degree of confidence that if anything goes awry, they’ll take care of you. For guitar orders, this is even more important. With that said (am I biased toward SW?.. probably), Guitar Center did get these two guitars (we bought the Epi and Dean – both $99 – more on that in a separate review) to us in one piece – although the Dean box was pretty-well beat-up, with gaping holes through both the two outer – and the inner-box (with the guitar). This was more likely due to mishandling by UPS than any fault of GC, however. If it was a more expensive guitar, I imagine I would have refused the shipment without opening the box — but, where it was only $99, we took our chances, opened the box on camera, and hoped for the best (see the YouTube episode for more).
Back to the Epi LP Special — Only two color choices were available at the time of my order – Worn Cherry – and Worn Black. I chose black, as it most reminded me of the current-run Gibson P90 equipped Melody-Makers —
Overall, the Epiphone packaging was excellent. Looks like they’ve got the process down to a science. The guitar was in its own inner-box – well wrapped and protected with custom engineered cardboard inserts and protective wrapping. The inner-box was within another heavier box, sealed tightly with staples. Lastly, that entire two-box arrangement was placed within yet another box at Guitar Center, with additional protective materials. Guitar Center did a good job there – and was a big step-up from my last online guitar purchase from them in 2007 – where the guitar (an $89 Squire Mini Strat) arrived in a single flimsy box (that looked like it had been through a battle), the guitar being covered inside in only a simple white sheet of foam. So, they’ve come a long way since then.
First Impressions…
This Epi LP Special is really well-finished. It has a light mahogany body and bolt-on neck with rosewood fret board. The worn-black finish is super-smooth (this is a very satin-y finish – no gloss). The neck shape feels like a modern “C” shape – not too chunky – and the smooth finish makes this very fun to play. Frets were well-dressed and had few, if any, sharp spots – at least nothing that needed attention anytime soon.
The nut looked to be some kind of black plastic, or composite, but I’m not sure on that yet. I was well fitted, however, and the action at the nut was great – right out of the box – no buzzing, the neck was straight, and it just felt great.
The pickups on this baby are what really attracted me to it. In 1992 I bought a Gibson ES135 with two P-100 pickups, which are (from my understanding) a more noise-cancelling version of the P90. I loved that guitar and those pickups – and still don’t recall why I ever sold that one.., but, this little Epi Special brings back all of that sound, with great output – and very little noise.
The one-piece stop-bar tailpiece is excellent. Intonation seemed to be spot-on. I had an old Leo Quan Badass bridge/tailpece from the early 80s, that I was expecting to use to replace the stock Epi tailpiece – but, it was absolutely not necessary. I don’t think it would fit anyway, as the standard LP sized lugs of the Leo Quan were probably too big in diameter to fit the smaller diameter Epi lugs.
Electronics are simple – single volume, tone, and three-way toggle pickup selector. All work great, with no added noise, clicks, or wobbly feel. Inside the control cavity were full-sized, good quality components and decent shielding. The volume pot responds really well to slight adjustments in volume – and allows those P90’s to go from a mild break-up, to the full-out bite they’re known for. They’re a very responsive pickup – and the tone can be addictive.
Adjustments — Only adjustments I made after the video review was to replace the stock strings (which felt like .09 – .42 gauge) with a new set of Ernie Ball Cobalt .10 – .46 that I had handy. While I had the strings off, I took a little time to clean and oil the fret board – and polish the frets. I also lowered the action just slightly to my taste.
This and That — Well, I’m still amazed that I’m writing this much about a sub-$100 guitar. It really is a ridiculous value – especially for guitarists looking to round-out their guitar sound-palate with a P90 equipped axe. I would not hesitate to record or perform with this – in fact, I’ve already used it to record a bit – and it sounds beautiful. One other simple thing that Epiphone does with their guitars (that I appreciate, anyway) – is that they use an engraved neck plate on their bolt-on models (inscribed with “Epiphone – performance is our passion”) – Again, just a simple addition, but a very classy touch. Even many of the high-end bolt-on boutique guitars I’ve seen still use plain off-the-shelf neck plates — not to mention, most of the non-USA lines of US brands (e.g., Made-in-Mexico Fenders, the G&L Tribute models from Indonesia, and so on) – so, a welcome touch to see this “Made in China” Epiphone sporting an engraved neck plate.
Playability? — This little Epi Special plays really well – I think it’s as good, or even better in some cases, than similarly equipped Gibson models I’ve played around with at the store. Neck feel is extremely comfortable – and this is a guitar light enough to play all night and barely notice you’re wearing it. For some, they might initially buy it simply as an inexpensive gigging alternate to a more expensive Gibson (or similar) — something they won’t be too concerned about banging around, or being stolen — but, this Epi LP Special grows on you quickly – and it’s so inexpensive, you may just decide to get another as a backup to the backup.
The Verdict — If you’re looking to add the growling tone of a P90 equipped guitar to you arsenal, at a ridiculously great value, I don’t think there is any better option out there than the Epiphone Special 1. I mean, you can’t even buy a new set of P90’s on their own for less than a hundred bucks – and when you add-in the great fit and finish of this Epi, it’s just a fantastic deal. The non-sale GC price is still inexpensive – maybe only $129 as of this review. You can find them on eBay as well – from about $100 or so (without shipping). This line included three available colors – Worn Black, Worn Cherry, and the classic TV Yellow.
I won’t lie.., I STILL dream of a Gibson P90 model someday — either a Les Paul Melody-Maker, Les Paul Junior, or Les Paul 100 Double-Cut – but, after having this Epiphone around for the past month, I’m in no rush at all — it really is a great little guitar.
Steve
Update: October 2023
Just as an update to my 2015 review of the $100 (at the time) Epiphone Les Paul Special 1 —
It’s been eight years since that review — and while I still have that guitar sitting in the rack, I don’t recall the last time I’ve played it. NOT because it’s not a great little axe — it is. In fact, I took it with us to visit Sweetwater in Indiana for the June 2016 Gear Fest — a long 16 hour drive (along the way, we visited Niagara Falls in NY, and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, OH) — and it was the perfect guitar to have on a road trip like that. But, since that time, I’ve acquired a few other P90 equipped guitars — An ebony Gibson Les Paul Classic (absolutely beautiful), an Epiphone Casino (natural, with Seymour Duncan Antiquity P90 dogears), and an Inspired by ’55 Epiphone Les Paul Custom, that is really an incredible guitar.
After a long time away from doing these gear reviews, I’m planning to get back to it soon — and will be reviewing as many of my guitars, amps, and other gear (basses, recording gear, pedals, mics, studio computer stuff, music production and promotion tools, etc.) as possible — along with videos, audio podcasts, and whatever else I can figure into it.
To hear some of my guitar work, check out my Spotify page here:
Of course, you’ll find me on Apple Music, Amazon, Tidal, and all the rest, too.