fromnabulax Posted February 26, 2015 Share Posted February 26, 2015 I was at my daughter's midwinter Middle School concert the other night and the kids did a song by Coldplay accompanied by a 15 year old on the Epi LP Special with humbuckers. Now, I don't know from Coldplay, but I've been at the guitar thing for over 45 years now. This Epi was really something. The kid wasn't real practiced yet and he was playing through a very cheap cruddy solid state 5watt amp, but it was obvious that the guitar itself for such an inexpensive guitar was top notch. I chatted with him for a few and he told me that he loved it (which he very clearly did) and that it was also very easy to play. Just eyeballing it I could see that the exterior build quality was truly top notch. Honest to goodness, Epi is absolutely making the best solid body guitar for under 200 bucks anywhere, and I see this one going for under a hundred. And no, I don't work for Gibson, Epiphone or any music retailer. I was simply blown away. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sitedrifter Posted February 26, 2015 Share Posted February 26, 2015 cardboard guitars are cool.. LOL J/K.. If a $99 git floats your boat or satisfies your ideas of quality, more power too you!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Davidjon Posted February 26, 2015 Share Posted February 26, 2015 If it's good enough for Mike, it's good enough for me. :) I'm sure you'll get all kinds of replies, but I agree 100% with you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rabs Posted February 26, 2015 Share Posted February 26, 2015 A good guitar is a good guitar no matter what price it cost or what make it is... Same as you can get bad guitars that cost loads of money... Its why you gotta go around trying as many as you can if you are on the hunt for one...... and just judge the guitar on its performance and sound... if you find a great cheap guitar, BONUS Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kenan Posted February 27, 2015 Share Posted February 27, 2015 I own a Les Paul Special II..1996. Almost 20 years now and it's still rocking. IMO it's a very well built guitar with a good sound, especially for that price range. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cyphre Posted February 27, 2015 Share Posted February 27, 2015 I used to have one. It's a good, solid instrument. Easy to upgrade too! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geelinus Posted February 27, 2015 Share Posted February 27, 2015 I'm also amazed at the quality of the lower price point guitars nowadays. My Epi Les Paul Special (with P-90 pickups)stays in a stand by my desk. Given its price, the guitar sounds ridiculously good and is extremely easy to play. I'm not suggesting that the Epi sounds better than or just like my Gibson LP Special (also w/ P-90s),the Epi sounds a whole lot better than anyone would rationally expect a $100 guitar to sound. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caddy Posted March 10, 2015 Share Posted March 10, 2015 I picked up an Epi Special 1 with the P-90's at a pawn shop last fall for $70, like new with the plastic still on the back cover. My first P-90 experience in nearly 60 years of playing. Really like it. I agree sounds and plays a lot better than one would expect for the price. Fun guitar! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steadygroove Posted March 12, 2015 Share Posted March 12, 2015 For 2 years straight this man named Ron drove hwy 74 to meet me at The Cleveland Mall in Shelby two times to buy a used guitar of the same type. He absolutely loved them. The Epi Special in TV yellow with P-90's. He snatched them up for $120 a piece, and gave me $20 for the drive to Shelby both times. If that isn't an ol' timer loving a modern make of an LP Special for more than it's worth than I don't know what is. Epiphone Makes great guitars!!! No Doubt About it!! Even the ol' Timers agree!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mickthemiller Posted March 12, 2015 Share Posted March 12, 2015 I picked up an Epi Special 1 with the P-90's at a pawn shop last fall for $70, like new with the plastic still on the back cover. My first P-90 experience in nearly 60 years of playing. Really like it. I agree sounds and plays a lot better than one would expect for the price. Fun guitar! I saw one of these on Youtube here and found one almost the same day at GAK in the for UK £99. I snapped it up. Unfortunately it's not the TV yellow version but Cherry. It is a great little guitar. They are out of production now but I think the HB version is still available. It's another one of those Epiphone gems that they seem to allow to have fleeting lives and are then withdrawn. They do have a weird marketing strategy!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vognell Posted April 11, 2015 Share Posted April 11, 2015 I saw one of these on Youtube here and found one almost the same day at GAK in the for UK £99. I snapped it up. Unfortunately it's not the TV yellow version but Cherry. It is a great little guitar. They are out of production now but I think the HB version is still available. It's another one of those Epiphone gems that they seem to allow to have fleeting lives and are then withdrawn. They do have a weird marketing strategy!!! I just picked one up last night for $99 at the Guitar Center in Orlando. It's much better than a $99 guitar has a right to be. Needed about 10 minutes setup (truss rod and bridge height adjustment) and better strings, but that's all it needed to be playable. For such a cheap bridge design, the intonation was spot on from the factory, which is surprising. I've not had much experience with P90 pickups, but these sounded pretty good. I'll probably upgrade the pots, throw in an orange drop cap and a treble-bleed cap, but the pickups might stay. I was wondering if they were out of production. I didn't see the guitar listed on the website. I just contacted CS to ask about that, and to get technical specs on the pickups. If they're going out of production, then I say GET ONE! Great starter or beater guitar...looks to have real upgrade potential. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vognell Posted April 24, 2015 Share Posted April 24, 2015 I just picked one up last night for $99 at the Guitar Center in Orlando. It's much better than a $99 guitar has a right to be. Needed about 10 minutes setup (truss rod and bridge height adjustment) and better strings, but that's all it needed to be playable. For such a cheap bridge design, the intonation was spot on from the factory, which is surprising. I've not had much experience with P90 pickups, but these sounded pretty good. I'll probably upgrade the pots, throw in an orange drop cap and a treble-bleed cap, but the pickups might stay. I was wondering if they were out of production. I didn't see the guitar listed on the website. I just contacted CS to ask about that, and to get technical specs on the pickups. If they're going out of production, then I say GET ONE! Great starter or beater guitar...looks to have real upgrade potential. Yep. They're out of production. The humbucker version of the LP Special 1 is very hard to find right now, but some of the P90 versions are still easy to find. I can heartily recommend the P90 version... I am having more fun with this guitar than I have ever had. If I had to sell the rest and keep one, the P90 LP Special would be it. I was able to find a humbucker version in faded yellow as a returned item. I look forward to seeing what it's like (they were OUT at the local Guitar Center, so I wasn't able to try one in person). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vognell Posted April 28, 2015 Share Posted April 28, 2015 Aaaaand here they are. The Worn Red P90 Special one and the Worn Yellow Special One with Humbuckers. Even though they are disturbingly cheap, I was able to set them up with a relief of 0.010 (measured at 8th fret, first and 22nd fret depressed), string height less than 2mm measured at the 17th fret. Strings felt good at the nut, so I didn't mess with 'em. No discernible buzz up and down the neck. Neck feels great, a little thick, but that's how I like'em. Intonation on the Yellow one took some work, but the wraparound bridge works surprisingly well. Pickup heights were way low from the factory, but that's hardly a problem. I like the P90 more than the Humbucker version, though they both sound pretty good. Neither are great for clean tones, but they'll work if you back off on the volume a bit. For somebody starting out, or somebody who needs a knockaround, these are some simple, well-built, and easy playing guitars (with a little setup). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fromnabulax Posted April 29, 2015 Author Share Posted April 29, 2015 That yellow one's quite pretty... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vognell Posted April 29, 2015 Share Posted April 29, 2015 That yellow one's quite pretty... The yellow ones are hard to find.... mine was a returned item at music 123. Guitar Center has one of the P90's in Yellow right now (used), but I can't justify it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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