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March 3rd, 2018, 03:44 PM
#1
Had to try one....
Read a lot of positive things (examples HERE and HERE) about these new Epi Les Paul SL's, and for $99 delivered, how can you go wrong? I got some cash for my birthday and figured, "What the heck?!?" I like the looks, and the guitar plays well and sounds remarkably good. The single coil pickups aren't the greatest, but they're not bad at all. I particularly like the neck pickup with some overdrive on it. The neck is a comfortable C profile, and on the thinner side. The pots and switch have a good solid feel and function smoothly. The finish on mine is flawless and the intonation is quite good, too. The neck pocket is nice and tight, and it's probably the lightest electric guitar I own.
Photo (not mine, but same color):
It wasn't all good news, though. The strings that came on it were trash, but I expected that on an inexpensive Chinese-made guitar and immediately installed a set of D'Addario 10's. The fingerboard was very dry, so I oiled it up well with Dunlop 02 conditioner. But the biggest negative by far was the tuners, which are cheap crapola. Lots of slop in them, and the one on my high E was binding badly through part of its rotation. But multiple reviews of the SL that I'd read mentioned how inferior the tuners were, so at least this wasn't a surprise. My solution was to order a set of Grover Deluxe 133N tuners, which I received and installed two days ago--see photo below. HUGE difference!! The guitar now tunes smoothly & precisely. These are the split-shaft variety, which I prefer over solid shaft tuners. I find string changes to be faster, and there's no sharp string end poking out to catch a dust cloth or a finger! They're also the smaller "vintage" shaft diameter, which matches the headstock tuner holes on the Epi LP SL, so no need for any additional drilling/reaming for the larger "modern" style of tuners. So the guitar ended up costing me $135, which is still a real bargain any way you look at it!
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Post Thanks / Like - 2 Likes
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March 3rd, 2018, 03:56 PM
#2
Congrats!
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
Goldtop Lester
VOX AC30CC2
BOSS Katana 💯
A few other guitars and pedals
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March 3rd, 2018, 04:31 PM
#3
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March 3rd, 2018, 08:25 PM
#4
Thanks for nothing! I ordered one back in September but three months later they hadn't shipped, by which time I recovered my sanity and cancelled the order. Did you HAVE to go setting fires again!! This video was what really got me interested (beware - may cause intense GAS provocation):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=seICRkGNyUM
Actually, the light weight was also an incentive...
"GAS never sleeps" - Gil Janus
"Now you got to pay your dues. Get that axe and play the blues." - Spudman
Gear: Epiphone Sheraton II, Epiphone Wildkat, Epiphone Emperor Joe Pass, Fender MIM Strat, Tacoma DR-14, Johnson JR-200 resonator; Fender Super Champ XD amp
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March 3rd, 2018, 10:01 PM
#5
Enjoy! Surprised you didn't go for the nuclear yellow option
Axen: Jackson DK2M, Fender Deluxe Nashville Telecaster, Reverend Warhawk 390, Taylor 914ce, ESP LTD Surveyor-414
Amphen: Jet City JCA22H and JCA12S cab, Carvin X-60 combo, Acoustic B20
Effecten: "Thesis 96" Overdrive/Boost (aka DVM OD2), Hardwire DL-8 Digital Delay/Looper, DigiTech Polara Reverb, DigiTech EX-7 Expression Factory and CF-7 Chorus Factory, Danelectro CF-1 Cool Cat Fuzz
"I wish Imagine Dragons would be stuck in an Arcade Fire for an entire Vampire Weekend."--Brian Posehn
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March 3rd, 2018, 10:35 PM
#6
Originally Posted by
marnold
Enjoy! Surprised you didn't go for the nuclear yellow option
Oh, yeah! That's the color I'd get!
"GAS never sleeps" - Gil Janus
"Now you got to pay your dues. Get that axe and play the blues." - Spudman
Gear: Epiphone Sheraton II, Epiphone Wildkat, Epiphone Emperor Joe Pass, Fender MIM Strat, Tacoma DR-14, Johnson JR-200 resonator; Fender Super Champ XD amp
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March 6th, 2018, 04:21 PM
#7
Originally Posted by
marnold
Enjoy! Surprised you didn't go for the nuclear yellow option
That would be my second choice, but I liked the turquoise the best.
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March 7th, 2018, 02:30 AM
#8
Congrats Voodooman it looks great I like those fresh colors and the overall shape looks good how is the acess to the high notes ?
Guitars:
1978 Fender Telecaster Thinline Custom USA, New Nash TL-72 Thinline Telecaster, 1965 Harmony Meteor, H71, 1986 Fender Telecaster Esquire MIJ, New Martin J-41 Special, 1933 National Duolian, 1941, New Eastwood Mandocaster 12 strings
Amps:
Tweed Vibrolux Custom Denis Manlay, 1976 Fender Deluxe Reverb Silverface
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March 7th, 2018, 11:39 AM
#9
Originally Posted by
Jipes
Congrats Voodooman it looks great I like those fresh colors and the overall shape looks good how is the acess to the high notes ?
Very good. It's not a blended neck heel, but the body is only 1 7/16" (37mm) in thickness, so it's still quite easy to reach the highest frets.
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March 7th, 2018, 02:28 PM
#10
So Vood - have you got anything sounding remotely like what Bohlinger gets out of it - granted that he is like Robert in his ability to make any piece of wood with strings on it sound good!
"GAS never sleeps" - Gil Janus
"Now you got to pay your dues. Get that axe and play the blues." - Spudman
Gear: Epiphone Sheraton II, Epiphone Wildkat, Epiphone Emperor Joe Pass, Fender MIM Strat, Tacoma DR-14, Johnson JR-200 resonator; Fender Super Champ XD amp
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March 8th, 2018, 03:42 PM
#11
I've been playing it quite a bit through my BYOC Tweed Royal head into a 1x12 cab with a Celestion Blue speaker. This is a good combination for single coil guitars, because it fills out their sound nicely. The SL sounds great clean and even better with some overdrive. I'm not in the Renman/Bohlinger league as far as playing skills go, but I think that combo of guitar/amp/overdrive sounds pretty damn good!
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March 8th, 2018, 08:13 PM
#12
Thanks, Vood - I may have to go ahead and get this out of my system... I just have to remember to buy the accessory hole-in-the-head to go with it, as I clearly need one of those, too
"GAS never sleeps" - Gil Janus
"Now you got to pay your dues. Get that axe and play the blues." - Spudman
Gear: Epiphone Sheraton II, Epiphone Wildkat, Epiphone Emperor Joe Pass, Fender MIM Strat, Tacoma DR-14, Johnson JR-200 resonator; Fender Super Champ XD amp