Have you noticed quite a few Epiphone electric guitars seem to be getting pricier? The recent Adam Jones Les Paul announcement is a case in point. But there's a simple reason in most cases; their spec is better and the price has gone up accordingly. We're getting into Gibson performance territory with some of these models. And we think with a particular Les Paul model Epiphone has already hit the sweet spot on that.
2020's Epiphone 1959 Les Paul Standard release, and the latter Bonamassa Lazarus that followed, were showcases of just how good Epiphone can deliver on the Les Paul platform. They felt special, and they played like it with Gibson USA BurstBucker pickups, '50s wiring and high quality CTS pots. No upgrading necessary here!
In addition to the Dark Burst and Dark Cherry Burst options of the model on release, Andertons were given a UK exclusive on the Aged Lemon Burst Epiphone 1959 Les Paul Standard Outfit that they've just got back in stock here, while Sweetwater got the exclusive Aged Heritage Cherry Fade 1959 Les Paul and Aged Honey Burst Gloss.
The Andertons exclusive is a £769 Epiphone and it plays like a guitar that should be more. So maybe there's something in these pricier models after all.
The UK retailer also has the equally excellent Dark Burst option for £749 in stock now and preorders open on the limited edition £749 Aged Dark Cherry Burst.
Or you can go for the £5,749 Custom Shop VOS version? Hmmm.
And over on Sweetwater at the time of writing these are actually $50 cheaper than the standard finishes: $849 instead of $899. Check out the US retailer's full range of Epiphone 1959 Les Pauls here. You can even choose your specific model by finish and weight!
