I thought I'd post a quick review of the Epiphone Elite Les Paul Studio.

I bought this guitar back in March of this year. I was originally looking at the Epi LP Custom in Alpine White, but this was hanging next to it. Both were very nice, but this one just seemed to resonate more acoustically. Pickups in both guitars sounded good, but the one in the Epi Studio sounded a little bit better IMHO. As nice as the stock pickups were, I've swapped them out for a Gibson '57 Classic in the neck, and just recently upgraded the bridge to the '57 Classic +. The Gibson in the neck position provided the biggest improvement in the guitar. It's warm, incredibly clean, and has the definition I was hoping for. The 57+ in the bridge is also an improvement, just not as big as the neck. The 57+ is a very bright P/U, so I find I have to roll down the treble control to tame it down.

One thing I've noticed about these Pickups is they are forcing me to become a better player, as they will expose your weakness with their clarity. (Does this make sense to anyone?)

This guitar was almost $150 more that the Epi LP Custom, but was still far less expensive than the Sunburst or Goldtop Elite Models. (Man I'd still love to have one of those though) The Studio lacks the binding and other nice cosmetic features of the Customs, but this guitar plays and sounds every bit as good to me.

Factoring in this price included an Ephiphone hardshell case, it was a fairly easy decision to make. I have had zero issues with this guitar! I am very impressed with what you get for your hard earned $$$

Here are the Tech Specs for the Epi Website as well as a photo.

Tuners: Grover
Fingerboard: Rosewood
Neck: 1-pc Mahogany, 22 fret
Neck Joint: Set, 16th fret
Nut: 1-11/16", Bone
Scale: 24-3/4"
Top: Book-Matched Maple
Back: Mahogany
Sides: n/a
Rhythm PU: 50SR (USA Humbucker) Swapped for Gibson '57 Classic
Treble PU: 60ST (USA Humbucker) Swapped for Gibson '57 Classic +
Controls: 2-V, 2-T; 3-Way Pickup Selector
Hardware: Nickel

http://www.epiphone.com/elitist/lpstudio.htm