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The Epiphone Les Paul Standard PlusTop PRO Electric Guitar
It’s not that you can’t afford to buy the real Les Paul, it’s just you’re a wiser buyer.
If you are a hobbyist or just beginning your journey toward stardom, having to spend thousands of grand for a guitar is not a brilliant first step. So, a cheaper alternative would really do great for you.
And, as a subsidiary of the renowned Gibson guitars, Epiphone never fails in giving us high quality, yet affordably priced guitars.
You may not expect too much for the price of a few hundred dollars. No, don’t expect too much, but be surprised and tap yourself for the wise investment you just made.
Check out below for the features you are looking for in an electric guitar, which are all found in the Epiphone LP Standard Plus-Top PRO.
Flawless Design and Finish
The body is made of mahogany with a maple top. It has that iconic Les Paul guitar body with a superb finish.
If you take a closer look, it’s just full of beauty and you can’t see a single flaw in its design.
No gaps, no fillers, and the alignment seems perfect. It’s like a single entity coming out of a 3D printer.
The Fingerboard and Neck
The neck is the standard maple design with a very reliable rosewood fretboard. It has that unique “D” style neck popular in the 60s featured by the old Les Paul. It’s got that unique trapezoid inlays.
Its straight neck comes with a 24.75-inch scale length with jumbo frets. There’s no noticeable sharpness or unpolished parts.
So, you can comfortably slide up and down the fretboard without a problem.
Reliable Pickups
Epiphone Les Paul Standard PlusTop PRO is notable with its ProBucker 2 and ProBucker 3 pickups.
The former is located in the neck, while the latter is at the bridge. Both of them are using Alnico II magnets like those in vintage PAF humbuckers.
These two pickups are perfect for providing the balance between clarity and warmth. They also provide smooth sustain and access to fat mid-range, giving a bolder and more assertive tone.
These pickups are connected to the two-tone and two-volume knobs along with the common Les Paul pickup selector switch.
This makes it more accessible and easy to adjust quickly.
Versatility and Great Performance
One of the guitar’s greatest assets is its neck. Indeed, this thing got the most comfortable and slim neck profile, there is in a guitar. It had that same profile as the early LPs in the 1960s.
You may contribute its versatility to the flexibility of the pickups it has. Hence, it can make incredible sounds with great sustain and intonation.
Each of these pickups has its own volume controls, which can be toggled to access the coil-split mode of the guitar.
This mode allows you to enhance the treble and achieve the burst and Goldtop LP tones from the same guitar. This makes it more interesting.
Furthermore, the action on this guitar is also amazing, which allows you to play comfortably.
It has a perfect weight, too, that gives you comfort, even for rigid rehearsals and concerts.
Sound Quality
No doubt you can produce rock and blues from it. However, if you love experimentation – with proper setup and good gain – you can get a very decent metal sound.
To reiterate, the coil-split feature plays a great role in giving more treble and cleaner sound – not close to a Strat – but very versatile.
Tuners are doing great to hold a tune, allowing you to play for weeks without worrying about the intonation.
A Guitar That Meets All Expectations
Indeed, this guitar has great bones. It may have been constructed with multi-piece, but this doesn’t make it a loser. In fact, it’s not evident and the contours are just perfect.
Besides its great craftsmanship, it has good electronics and hardware, too. This includes useful tuners, pickups, and all those knobs and controls.
PROS
- Amazing coil-splitting feature
- Great pick-ups
- Can hold tune well
CONS
- Multi-piece construction
Drawbacks
I’m actually sick and tired of hearing “this is almost like a Les Paul,” or “this has some Les Paul in it, but…”
Personally, I’m not against Les Paul, in fact, I love it.
However, it’s about time to discover other brands or other Epiphone guitars.
Though the features are just the things you need for your next electric guitar, for me, I need more.
Yes, it’s versatile with its amazing pickups, but if you need to access more genre, then choosing other guitars might be a good option.
This is not something you should take on seriously, as it’s only my own. Take this with a grain of salt and have your own take of this review.
PRO VS PlusTop PRO – What’s The Difference?
If you’re wondering if there’s a huge difference between the Standard PRO and the PlusTop PRO, there’s none. They’re basically just the same guitars, with only difference in aesthetics.
Verdict
Among the selling points of this guitar are the pickups. Not only are they easily adjustable, but they are also way too useful. No wonder everyone loves this and wants to own one.
So, it this the real deal?
The electronics are great, allowing you to maximize the ins and outs of this guitar. With proper setup, this guitar works magic.
Furthermore, it’s quite easy stuff for beginners, even for those holding a guitar for the first time.