Epiphone Les Paul by OctopusHat licensed under
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If there’s a single electric guitar range that’s synonymous with Epiphone , and in particular its Gibson copies, it’s the Les Paul. Epiphone currently lists 19 Les Paul guitars in its line-up, including legends like the Les Paul Custom, Les Paul Studio, and the Les Paul Junior.
Click here to see a list of Epiphone Les Pauls currently for sale on eBay
While it’s widely assumed that Les Paul designed the original guitar which bore his name for Gibson and that Epiphone later made less expensive versions from factories in Korea and Japan, this only scratches the surface of the real, much more interesting, story.
Paul started building what eventually became the Gibson Les Paul in 1941, using Epiphone parts and facilities in Epiphone’s New York factory. The Log, as Paul nicknamed that first guitar was made by attaching an Epiphone neck, fingerboard and body parts to a 4in by 4in board. Les Paul then took a couple of body halves from an Epiphone and attached them either side of a centre block.
Sometime later, while he was in Chicago, Paul took The Log to the Chicago Musical Instruments Company, which owned Gibson. He was politely, but firmly, shown the door. The words of CMI’s president, MH Berlin, who described The Log as a ‘broomstick with pick-ups’, must have stung, but they didn’t discourage him from designing and building guitars. Eventually he managed to attract Gibson’s interest and in 1952, the first Les Paul solid body electric guitar was produced, and the rest, is history.
The Gibson Les Paul, in its many and various models, has become arguably the most recognised electric guitar shape on the planet. Only Fender’s Stratocaster comes close. Almost every great rock and blues guitar player has owned and played at least one. And even guitarists like Eric Clapton who later became identified with other makes and models, played some of their best riffs on a Les Paul.
And of course, the Les Paul was introduced to a whole new set of fans when it was used as the basis for the controller in the video game, Guitar Hero III.
I didn’t realize that Paul’s prototype was built with Epi parts! More ammo for when people say my Epiphone Les Paul isn’t a “real” Les Paul!
There is a great interview with the man himself: http://www.musicianshotline.com/archive/interviews/lespaul1.htm
Where he says, in reference to the Epiphone LP: “Oh yeah, they play equally as well and sound equally as well as the Gibson.”
Also, thanks for using my pic w/ the article!
Re: ‘More ammo for when people say my Epiphone Les Paul isn’t a “real” Les Paul!’ My thoughts exactly
Thanks for the link to the interview. And the pic is fantastic, thanks for sharing it, it’s a lovely guitar.
I’m sorry, but trying to argue your budget version is the real thing is never going to work. Made from epiphone parts or not, the log was nothing like the gibson les paul, which as far as things are concerned is the only ‘real’ Les paul.
Not only that, but back then gibson didn’t own epiphone and epiphone weren’t considered a ‘budget’ brad as they are today. They were a completely different company in almost everything but name.
Not to mention, if you go out and play a good les paul then compare it to your epiphone, its going to kick crap out of it. (Note I say good les paul. Sadly, gibsons quality control of late is TERRIBLE. Need proof? http://www.musicbanter.com/talk-instruments/29602-heres-warning-anyone-even-thinking-looking-gibson-guitar.html)
I don’t think anyone was serious about comparing an Epi with a good Gibson LP. But there are lots of Epiphones which compare favourably with less good Gibsons and lots of guitarists who prefer Epi models to not only Gibson but every other guitar.
Check some of them out in this list of the ten best songs ever played on an Epiphone.
I disagree. We all know at least one budding guitarist with a squier, who makes a gigantic deal about how good it is because it says ‘squier by fender’ on the headstock. I understand the point you’re trying to make, but lets be honest, its not a real les paul and it never will be, so why put the idea in peoples heads?
If nothign else it seems to go against the purpose of this site, because its not judging epiphone on its own merits but on how close its products are to another manufacturers. Surely thats anything but a good mark for the company?
As I said, I wasn’t suggesting that an Epi LP is a match for a good Gibson LP. But you can’t compare a budding bedroom player who thinks a Squier is a Fender with a professional musician who chooses to use an Epi – and I don’t mean an LP here.
The purpose of the site is to provide a place for discussion of all aspects of Epiphone guitars, and given that its relationship with Gibson is a fundamental part of its identity, it would by foolish not to talk about it.