Epiphone Les Pauls?

[EddieMullet]

I have the super cheap Epiphone SG Junior, paid 99 dollars for it, it sounds great and plays great, I've had it since 1997 and have changed the nut, the tuners and the pots in it over the years, but it still has the original P-90 that came in it, the intonation is spot on even tuned all the way down to C.

It's been to hell and back and keeps on going, the neck and frets are still in good shape and it is one of my favorite guitars.

Lately I've been really pleased with the PRS SE One I bought last winter, it's a nice LP junior copy and I'd put it over the current Epiphone Les Pauls.  Though apparently the SE One is one of the models they had to quit making due to the lawsuit because when I went to the PRS website to try to read more about it the site said it was discontinued.

[clockwork green]

Cheap guitars have come a long way in the last 20 years but maybe I'm just too shallow to ever feel totally comfortable with an Epiphone aside from the really, really old stuff. Gibson's are far from perfect and with every new Gibson I've spent a ton upgrading them but I'm just too lame to take the stage with an Epi.

You've always had nice stuff so I can understand that. I couldn't get behind the brand either, honestly. I'm happy with what I've got but there is still a stigma around the epi's that I hold from a decade ago when first getting into music.

An Epiphone Les Paul custom was my main guitar for nearly 10 years into a MIG100 that I got for $350 brand new because you couldn't give them away and that was the upgrade over the Fender solid state Bronco that I had for many years. I was just so broke I could barely afford to eat. As I got better jobs I realized that I liked gear more than a bank account with more just enough to cover essentials.

[Mr Neutron]

I know it's not a LP, but i have a really nice '98 Epi G400 korina that I'll have until the day I die.
Paid less than $300, put about $200 into it, and it stands up to my jam buddy's Gibson Standard.

[hayseed]

I know it's not a LP, but i have a really nice '98 Epi G400 korina that I'll have until the day I die.
Paid less than $300, put about $200 into it, and it stands up to my jam buddy's Gibson Standard.

That is a sweet Sg^^! Very nice.

[Discö Rice]

Hey Neutron! How do you like that Korina body?  Better than mahogany?

[Jokercat74]

I've played and owned Gibson's and Epiphone's. I have also checked out a couple of the Agile's. For the money, Agile smokes Epiphone. However, depending on what you want out of them, upgrades can be made to all. In the past I have swapped out everything on and Epiphone Les Paul. The nut, pickups, electronics, bridge, tailpiece and tuners. After all that, it sounded and played great. I wouldn't want to go through that expense again.
As far as the Korean vs. Chinese made. Both play and feel about the same to me. Sound varies from instrument to instrument. Now I have seen more neck issues and breakage with the Chinese Les Pauls. I have seen two with the fretboard pulling up off the neck.

[Mr Neutron]

Hey Neutron! How do you like that Korina body?  Better than mahogany?

It's sweet. Lighter than normal mahogany. seems a bit more "open" than the s-100 i used to have.
the stock pickups were a bit too bright for me, though. I had some duncans installed, and i dig it as is, now.

It's a multi-piece, being an epi; id like to check out a real gibson korina see how those are. Maybe one with some P-90s. I bet thatd be all sorts of snotty sounding.

[blackkrosses]

If that SG is anything like the Epiphone Korina Explorer / V that's not real korina but tinted mahogany.

edit= excuse me, mahogany with korina veneers.

[fallen]

I have an Epi Korina Explorer and it is full korina with a mahogany neck. 3 chunks in the body with veneers over it.

I know there is a mistake on the Gibson site but I trust my ears/arms.

I've held a mahogany Gibson Explorer next to the Epi korina and the weight difference is pretty massive. Have also tried a 1 piece body Gibson korina and it is honestly hard to feel or hear much difference acoustically. (The stock Epi pickups are another story.)

Korina wood is super hard to get in large enough pieces that aren't cracked from drying or stained with fungus to make a V or an Explorer body but getting smaller pieces is no problem.

The wood isn't rare if all you want is smallish chunks and you don't care what the grain looks like.

Of course the Epiphones are contracted out to factories all over Asia so I'm sure it is totally possible to find a "korina" guitar with veneers over alder or over some other wood. We could all be right. All I know is the guitar I own weighs the same as my SG and there is no way all that wood is mahogany.

[blackkrosses]

Yeah, I've been searching for proof to back my statement up. All I can find is the Epiphone website says the korina V is mahogany in the "specs" column and the Epiphone Wikipedia mentioning the korina G400 is mahogany with korina veneers. Neither of which are seem reliable and there are plenty of websites that differ (Musician's Friend being one). I suppose the only way to find out is sand it down. heh.

Having said that and to be devil's advocate about the weight issue, I've held two of the same model/year guitars made out of the same type of wood and felt a drastic weight difference many times.

Of course all of this is completely off the subject and for that I apologize.

[VOLVO)))]

I play all my sludge on a Plywood guitar.

Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk

[fallen]

Of course all of this is completely off the subject and for that I apologize.

I'm starting to learn that this is an important SRL forum tradition. 

[Hemisaurus]

I play all my sludge on a Plywood guitar.

Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk

Wait 'til I get my MDF instrument ready

[Lumpy]

Yeah, I've been searching for proof to back my statement up. All I can find is the Epiphone website says the korina V is mahogany in the "specs" column and the Epiphone Wikipedia mentioning the korina G400 is mahogany with korina veneers. Neither of which are seem reliable and there are plenty of websites that differ (Musician's Friend being one). I suppose the only way to find out is sand it down. heh.

Take off the pickguard?

[justinhedrick]

I play all my sludge on a Plywood guitar.

Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk

my favorite guitar is plywood.

[Hemisaurus]

Sustain is all about continuous mass, plywood has less voids, well some plywoods anyway

Continuous Mass, good song / band name.

[blackkrosses]

Yeah, I've been searching for proof to back my statement up. All I can find is the Epiphone website says the korina V is mahogany in the "specs" column and the Epiphone Wikipedia mentioning the korina G400 is mahogany with korina veneers. Neither of which are seem reliable and there are plenty of websites that differ (Musician's Friend being one). I suppose the only way to find out is sand it down. heh.

Take off the pickguard?

That works too....

[neighbor664]

This looks like a great neck-through alternative to a Gibson or Epiphone Les Paul. Anyone tried one of these?

http://www.rondomusic.com/AL3000THRUHSBF.html