Maple neck too. This is the best spec 'ed Epiphone I've ever seen.

$1500 for that is a deal. Real woods. Proper headstock, chainsaw case.

Sticker shock is real. But as you showed in the video, once you start dissecting the spec sheet, it starts to make sense given the current guitar market and prices of everything. If a guitar is going to demand that price, it better be feature loaded. And this is. 3 piece maple neck, long neck tenon, real mother of pearl, volute, name brand pickups, hand wired electronics... there's so much to like about it.

I think Epiphones doing the right thing, they will still have their budget guitars but they also need to push out and be that working guitar that people have faith in bringing out. Epiphone as a brand still has that “oh it’s a Epiphone you must be new at guitar” with their name and these changes can help change that.

I'm definitely buying one. Looking forward to seeing you review one. Thanks for the video Kyle.

Seconded! The faded/worn Les Paul Studios and SG Specials were the best imo. Loved those

Just bought one and it’s shipping to my house tomorrow so excited

thanks for sharing. Great channel sir.

Guitars in general are out of control with the price. ESP/LTD are insane with what they are asking for their stuff now. their signature series from Bill K as an example are $1800-$2000 and don't get me started on the EII series being $1100-$1200 more than those when artist signature series were $1099 just a few years ago (I paid $999 for a NW 44 with a bareknuckle aftermath in the bridge brand new, they are $1800 now)). So $1500 for a custombucker, sd sh6, maple neck, mahogany body les paul style axe isn't crazy at all.

I bought a Alpine White Epi Custom Les Paul in 2020 & im super impressed with it, definitely $1000 🇨🇦 well spent, unfortunately I don’t have the Gibson headstock but of well 🤷🏼‍♂️

I got the art and this one and I can say both are amazing and it really comes down to preference. I give the slight edge to the 79 only because the art line was finished with the final release and the slight tweaks and mods they added to give it those final touches on an already great guitar. In my opinion of course.

I own an ec1000 and this AJ. I'm thinking about selling my ec1000 now. This epiphone is absolutely fantastic. It resonates way more than the Ltd. You know you got a good guitar when it sounds loudly and clearly unplugged. My Ltd sounds muffled unplugged. The epiphone has that little something special going on. I can't recommend it enough.

So I have the art work berserker and it is a great guitar, however for the same money you can get a Schecter or an LTD with stainless steel frets for the same or less money.

Funny story, so I had said you could get an LTD or Schecter for same money or less with stainless steel fret’s, I ordered an LTD EC-1000 in satin black with Gold hardware & Duncan pickups, however it was on back order so the shop said they had this epiphone and gave me a deal on it, so I changed my order and purchased it.

Just got mine in yesterday. Initial impression: it's fantastic! Certainly need more time with it but off the bat: the fit and finish is excellent. None of the glue or other issues noted in the video and in person it looks much better than the pictures reveal. Sound wise, it's exactly what you'd hope for: crunchy, articulate and powerful. Played it through my VH4 synergy and REVV 120 MKII and it reacted beautifully to both. This isn't an endorsement to "go buy one" but rather sharing experiences. I was quite hesitant to drop this kind of cash on a foreign import. From a $ to actual playing and sonic performance stand point, in my brief opinion this punches above its weight. I think that's important because the price of USA made models appears to be only going up and the market needs high quality, lower price point alternatives. Yes, I do realize the irony in that statement given the expense of this guitar, but it must be taken relative to the over all market. @kylebull2 please review this! Love to get your take. Also you mentioned some hardware upgrades you consider. Anything specific or recommendations you could point to? Love the channel, keep it up!

I took delivery of this one last week. Yes - the price is a bit high, but it’s very well appointed as you note, including real MOP inlays. It plays great and the pickups sound fantastic. I’m very happy to own it and would buy it again.

First off great shout out for the LPJs, I've got 2 and, after pickups swaps, I love them. As for this Epiphone Custom, if you would have told me a month ago that i would pay even 1000 for an Epiphone, I would have said you were nuts, but after seeing all the specs and doing some subjective math, I believe this one is actually worth the price, which is why i pre ordered one a couple of days ago. By the way, Play and Trade did a video and had one in their hands and according to them, they are real MOP inlays, and if its the same case as the art series, Trogly said the case is TKL. I think this one adds up, and I cant wait to get mine. Loving your channels by the way, subscribed to both now. Keep it up!

I have the rim burst silver and swapped electronics for Kerry King EMGs with the boost. Bad ass guitar. Got the Prophecy Purple tiger Extura (Explorer) and took out the Fishmans (don’t like them) and installed Jim Root EMGs and it’s my absolute favorite guitar (and I own Gibsons and Schecters).

Play and Trade Guitars did a review and had one at release. They always disassemble the guitar and it actually had AJ stamped and painted on the neck tenon. It sounded and looked great. I think they could have used a better grade of tuners. It has a thin neck and with the headstock and other features I was seriously tempted. But, it's just too bright. With the poly finish and bright white binding that's never going to age. Not in to "reliced" guitars but other than scratches and dings this one is always going to look like it does right now. Maybe that's a plus for other people, just not for me. And who knows how many pieces are glued together to make the body. In the end, I bought a new black LTD EC201 FT and an old Marshall Valvestate for a total of $750 and I'm happy 😊

I played one of these at my local Guitar Center a few days ago. It played really well, it had almost no flaws and really seemed like it was almost on level with a Gibson. But, really it was kind of hard to get over that price point.

No locking tuners, no SS frets, LTD EC-1000 has better specs for lower price, and you could buy the case, and still have the money for six pack.

my $1200 MIJ 10.6lbs Tokai has the Transitional neck tenon and the standard Gibson truss rod adjustment, and Gibson open book headstock, the only short cut was the carved top is flat where the pickups are like on a Schecter Tempest and PRS CE24, I put Gotoh locking tuners, Faber Bell Brass Locking ABR 1 (this guitar also has direct mount ABR 1 posts) and a machined steel stop bar with the faber Tone lock bridge posts and finished it out with the Mojotone Bill K HellBender pickups, I prefer it over my 11.4lbs Gibson LP Standard 50s

With all the "budget" brands stepping up their game, I'd have a hard time shelling out more than $800

I owned a 2012 Gibson Les Paul Classic Custom back when they first released in Wine Red. Regretably I ended up selling it. These models were basically a weight relieved Les Paul Custom without the back binding and had a baked maple board which I really dug. And for $1800 new. Just before I went to purchase another, they discontinued them. Ever since I've regretted selling that, I've hoped maybe I could get an Epiphone or something similar down the line with a proper open book headstock, etc. For me, this fits the bill. If I had the cash, I'd snag it and likely would in the future. While it's $400 more than Matt Heafy's signature 6 string (which has also been on my radar and his 7), I'd still snag this for that price. As a guitar I'd never sell, it's worth the lifelong investment to me. I know thats insane amount of money for many to pay for an Epiphone but for me.. just because a guitar is USA made doesn't make it any better quality than any other country. Many of the Epiphones I've owned/played have had better QC than many Gibsons I've played 😬

Why are so many surprised at the $1500 price? The old version was $1299 and did not include the $269 Custombucker in the neck spot, the Gibson headstock and real MOP inlays, so for $200 more they are including those things. Not much a surprise at all.

I have the Adam Jones silverburst. Love it. Only difference is that it doesn't have the Gibson headstock (got the the art version).

The Adam jones non-art burst has real mother of pearl inlay. Cannot speak for the art series

From what I've heard, the next batch is already sold out. If they pound these out at the same rate as the custom art series, we can expect them "in stock" after the 3rd batch. I really don't see the price of these going down at all. Everyone has been wishfully thinking they'll just grab a used one for cheap, after the initial craze dies down. Thats just not happening. If anything the prices are going up, or at least holding steady. I'm sit'n on a "The Berserker" custom art version, and was second on the preorder list at Sweetwater when these released. My sales dude said they had half the second batch sold by noon on the release day. I believe they get 50 per batch, so they most likely sold close to 100 units in 24hrs. If you want one anytime soon, I'd get on the waiting list. I have two bitch'n examples that are worth every penny.

Some people are going to think it’s not worth the price just because it says Epiphone, but I think it’s a phenomenal guitar. The specs are there and if you’re wanting a Silverburst Custom, good luck finding one used anywhere close to this, under normal circumstances. I picked one up and I think it’s sick. While a lot seem to average around 9.5 lbs, I found one around 8.5 lbs too so it’s nice and light. The pickups are amazing, the taper on the pots are great, all the hardware and electronics feel good, and it plays about as well as my 68 RI LPC. My only gripe was the fret ends could be a bit better. It’s not super rough but it could use a touch up as there’s a bit of fret sprout. I have a Wino that was perfect out of the box and I think the setup on that was better than the AJ. A good fret job would get it very close to my custom, feel wise, imo.

I personally wouldn’t pay it, only because eventually it will proliferate and they’ll be out there used for around 1000. That being said, this guitar, the greeny, the new custom series coming out next month…these are the new tributes and studios(a $2000 studio ain’t a studio). These are the guitars that will take that $1200-1500 market, and if you want a new Gibson you’ll be paying $2000 on up. You called it man, they are becoming a luxury brand, and we’ll just have to deal with it.

I got one as soon as they went up other than it being made in China it's a Gibson les paul custom with a epiphone logo 1500 vs 6k-7k plus the epiphones I have gotten lately have no qc issues the gibsons I have gotten not so much and prefer poly over nitro finish so I'm good

the custom bucker is a regular humbucker but its just priced at 260. gibson just likes to price it higher to make it seem more valuable

I love mine! Was it worth the $$ to me? absolutely! I have spent the last two months trying to find a Les Paul that I could fall in love with. So I handled many lps recently from juniors to deluxe. Tone is subjective but quality I think we can all agree when craftsmanship is shoddy, it sticks out. These Adam Jones silver bursts are gorgeous. All electronics and pickups are high quality, but I do have to say the hardware is cheap. I think at this price, the hardware should be better. I was able to find Schaller tuners and a Gotoh bridge / tailpiece for about $250. If you’re thinking about one, I highly recommend it, unless you have stuff to do.. you won’t want to put it down.

So here’s my 2 cents… I own and played Gibson Les Paul’s… I’ve played tons of Les Paul copies… Personally I think you’re correct on Gibson chasing this blues lawyer deal… there’s tons of people on facebook these R9 groups posting pictures of guitars that don’t look like they’ll ever be played.. and we’re talking starting around 5-6K I’m not sure it’s ridiculous…anyway which brings me to my point… A Gibson Les Paul Standard starts at 2600.00…. So if Epiphone is offering a Custom at 1500.00… I think that is awesome… if I didn’t have the guitars I did currently… I would buy this… from all my research and experience… Epiphone quality has been excellent and getting better… as far as hardware I think that’s small potatoes… so yea lol

I would never pay that full price for one of these, but I’m pretty cheap and usually prefer to buy used gear. That said if I found one of these for around half price on the used market I’d definitely consider it.

In all honesty and full humility I was so wrong about this guitar. I thought gimmick...this has completely changed my opinion. I replaced the bridge and tailpiece (tonepros) which wasn't really necessary and I am blown away. It is well worth 1500$. I cant put it down...still shocked..great work brother-

I bought the Epiphone Adam Jones Art Series last year for $1299 (GREAT guitar) , I would have paid $1499 for this new model, but I didn't want to wait a year for it.

How about the same package (Gibson Headstock/Ebony board with case) in the classic black and white and with USA 490/498 pickups and Grovers? That would be cool but you're getting pretty close in price to Made in Japan prices. I have an ebony FGN "Custom" with Duncan pickups that I got delivered to the US for under $2,000. Sadly no case but a decent gig bag. Love it.

The only thing it’s missing is the fret nibs which is whatever. I’ll take 2! Haha

This seems like a good buy if you A) wanted Norlin era specs on a Les Paul Custom and B) not willing to spend 3x just to get a nitro finish and schaller tuners on a Gibson Les Paul.

Looks solid. Feature set is good, for a signature guitar it has the appropriate pickups and electronics. Show me a signature model with name brand electronics and pickups selling cheaper new

I would buy one, so please demo it.

I wouldn't pay that but would be interested in seeing a full review.

Man if they make a white one with this headstock I'm adding it to cart so fast

no sticker shock. You get what you pay for. Its nice.

I love kyle's crazy eyes lol

i have been looking forward to this release for ages, but i'm so disappointed by the price point, it's $3300 in australia (thats $2163 USD). almost double what all the previous epi signatures were (cantrell wino etc). not a fucking chance i'm paying that money for an epiphone, no matter how good it is.

Custombucker and the case are 200 bucks each ig u want to sell them. So u get an adam jones LPC with gibson headstock for 11000 dollars. Come on. Thats a good deal

@10:04 where on the advertisement does it say that !? I Don't believe "Epiphone has magnets in their bridge and tail pieces" like you said as I have a 2014 Epiphone Les Paul std and it's got little metal clips that hold the bridge firmly to the post. I had a new 2020 inspired by Gibson TV yellow LP special and it had no lock tone clips on the lightening bolt bridge nor did it have magnets to hook it on to the post. I'm curious to see a bridge with small magnets in it to hold it on to the post.

Is it worth it well until you get it in your hands no one could answer that

Call me crazy but I actually don’t like the open book headstock on epiphones. I know most people want their epi to be as similar to a Gibson as possible, but I like the distinct separation. Epiphones are not Gibsons, they’re a different company with a very rich history of instrument making. In my opinion, the Kalamazoo headstock is much better than the old clipped ear and the open book. I don’t want to feel like I’m playing a Gibson replica when I play any of my epiphones. My Gibsons feel special with the subtle atheistic differences. So I’m in the camp of “if you want it to be a Gibson, save up for a Gibson.” Other than that, I’ve got the anti-laokoon version and maaaaaan is it a sweet guitar. I’ve been an epi fan since I first started playing, so I love to see them expanding their range like this.

As for the bang for the buck, its definitely priced competitively considering its got appointments that arent on 1800 Les Pauls. Its not a gibson but as close as an epiphone will get. As chyknees companies sell chibson lp customs for 3-500 you cant expect gib/epi to try to compete with that nonsense. A les paul custom is 5k dollars at the moment if you want black. If you want white it its 5700. If you want sunburst its 6500 if you want a quilted, figured top they are 8k. So in perspective, the prices are in line. I just dont see the value in this FOR ME. But its worth the msrp

I bought a Orville LPC for $700 before covid, as cool as this Epiphone is they’ve done this before with their older Japanese guitars unfortunately they both cost the same now so I can’t justify buying it.

Epiphone actually produced openbook headstock guitars for the Japanese market about 20 years ago. Including a Custom. Some even had nitro too. Great guitars.

My old epiphone lespaul Is made out of a couple different wood types. No idea what it is lol

It all depends on how it plays and how it sounds, If Epiphone stepped their game up and are actually making guitars that rival similar priced guitars from Gibson and other brands then it's definitely worth the price of admission. Plenty of guitar brands that come out of china make quality guitars such as Eastman.

I want one so bad but $2500 Cad after tax for an epiphone, big nope. Hopefully they do a non signature version at some point.

Bruh for an epiphone the specs on this exceeded most gibsons. It comes with a Seymour Duncan pickup, and a maple neck (these are few and far in between on gibsons). Feel wise I’m sure a gibson will still reign supreme.

Is it $1500 because it’s a signature series? (Adam Jones)

The much cheaper Inspired by Gibson 50s Epi LPs have a long neck tenon.

14:53 in the words of a wise man… “Ramble on!!!”

I have an Epiphone Les Paul Special ... I got used for $200.00 I'm not going to bite at $1499!

Mine has no Glue residue at all ... They ARE real MOP inlays

As much as I shit aaallll over Gibson for their pricing, they’re now a “luxury brand”. Take that as you will. 1500 for what is supposed to be affordable and reliable guitars, is lunacy. Even a standard Les Paul is 1000 bucks, and I say this as a Canadian they’re getting outta control price wise. Wild

2k+ up in Canada. Nope

I'm torn between this non art epiphone and the usa standard. The epiphone is closer to Adam's custom but $2150+ tax Canadian is hard to accept for a Chinese epiphone

I feel like they are trying to fill the gap that orville used to fill in the market. Hope that's true. Orville guitars are held in high regard.

At that price they can keep it. They need the guitar more than me.

I can buy a made in Japan, prestige Ibanez for that price. To each their own.

In my humble opinion, Gibson /Epiphone has lost their mind in regards to prices. Well, unless they only wanna sell to CEOs and rich people. I won't never ever buy and Epiphone for 1500€ nor a Gibson Studio for 1600€ without even case. I'm done with Gibson until they realize there aren't such a lot of riches around the world. Awesome video bro.

1800€ in Europe. I paid my Gibson AJ LP Standard 2100€. Enough said.

$1500? Well assuming the case is worth $200 new, that’s $1299 for the guitar. For that I can go Schecter or LTD, get stainless frets, also brand name pickups, and a solid build. If this AJ LP had stainless frets I’d say definitely worth it. Now considering it’s an Artist model that alone is $200. So to be fair it would be $1099 if it wasn’t. Do I want one? Yes. Am I willing to spend that on it knowing I can get an absolute monster for $1500 through other brands? No. For $1500 I’d buy a banging ass Ibanez, Schecter, LTD, Charvel, etc…

1750 euros in europe ... i prefer to hunt down a 90s gibson studio in wine red

It's a brand for my doctor and lawyer. Plus if you look around you can find a Gibson Les Paul Custom for anywhere around $2,000 to $2,500 used so why bother buying this.

Nah, as much as I think the guitar looks dope, LTD can offer you a better guitar. For the same money you can get the Bill Kelliher Sparrowhawk/ Eclipse in vintage silver sunburst or save a bit more and the the new Royal Shiva in silver sunburst.

You could buy a regular epiphone les Paul custom, for what? $700-$800? But if you want a better pickup, case, you’ll spend another $200-$300. Putting you at 1,000-1100 already. If you’re a tool / Adam jones fan and love playing their music. This is an easy buy. In my opinion.

I don't get all the "I can get better value for the money" comments.... If your a fan of A Jones and like LP Customs, this is good value, pretty cool imo.

I think I'd rather spend 1k on a single cut se McCarty

Fantastic guitar only beef the tuning machines are junk 🎸🎸🎸

First of all - you can get 15% off at most music stores - no issue. So we are talking $1275. FOR ALL THAT? ITS A STEAL.

Kyle - As always thanks for the great review! No way I’m EVER paying $1500 for an Epi. I can think of a dozen other guitars I’d buy first, and would only throw that type of cash down for an Epi if it was the only option left on Earth. Come down to $500 and I’d maybe consider the Epi as a viable option.

No way for $1500, you can buy a used Gibson Les Paul studio for less.

I saw the backward baseball cap and left immediately

Aaawwww poopoo butt nuggets!!!!!

If you don't want to spend $1499 on an Epiphone... then don't. They do have cheaper guitars in their catalogue.

Nah. I'm good

Epihpone has now joined the Gibson Greed Wagon!

More like Meh-pi-phone....

Thats literally the worst sunburst paint job Ive ever seen on any guitar. The cheapest Amazon guitars dont have sunbursts that bad.

I have played 5 Gibson Les Paul Customs owned by some friends, my 2010 Epiphone Les Paul blows those Customs away. It makes no sense. Those Customs can sell used for $3K-$6K and my Epi Les Paul would probably not even hit $350 if I sold it today. Yet the Epi is better.

Screw Gibson

The Epiphone Les Paul Custom and Standard guitars made for the Japanese market back in the 90's is probably better and is the same price used. I would get Japanese Epiphone or the Orville Les Paul Custom or Standard. Fuck the new Epiphone line.

Oh great, Epiphone finally made a les Paul that won’t stay in tune. 👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏

Every time I play an epiphone it just feels like a cheap gibson to me compared to when I play an ltd it doesn't feel like it's cheap or lacking anything so when I'm spending more than $600 dollars I go with ltd

Disagree. $1400 is and should be low for a working guitarist. A Sax costs 2500 for a shitty student model.

An epiphone with a gibson headstock is like a fake rolex

Epiphone will still be crap workmanship - no way I am going to support their decision to keep price gouging Chinese built guitars. Ridiculous.