George H. Posted October 17, 2013 Share Posted October 17, 2013 Ok Gents, I have a terrible decision to make. I am all set to purchase my new Les Paul but I just don't know what the differences are. I've had my eye on the LP Custom Pro, mainly for the coil-splitting option. But now I see that there is a LP Standard Pro that has the same feature! Is it just cosmetics that make the difference between the Standard Pro and the Custom Pro? I am a new player and I am looking for an instrument to grow into and then be able to hand it down to my daughter in the future. Thanks, George Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluemans335 Posted October 17, 2013 Share Posted October 17, 2013 The differences are cosmetic. Gold hardware eventually tarnishes, whereas chrome can stay nice much longer. I like Stds and Customs both, but would lean to a Std with above-average flame. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crust Posted October 17, 2013 Share Posted October 17, 2013 Does the custom have the "split parallelogram" headstock inlay ? I do love my LP standard plus top pro. If you are in the market for a beautiful looking as well as sounding and "playable" Epiphone Les Paul electric guitar, you'ld do well to take a real close look at that particular model. Here's a few pics of mine (Heritage Cherry Sunburst) Did I say I love this particular guitar ? lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George H. Posted October 17, 2013 Author Share Posted October 17, 2013 Thanks for the input. Crust- Thanks for the pics. Although I really want a solid Alpine White Les Paul, I will get the Standard Pro and save a couple hundred bucks to put towards an amp and an distortion pedal. You guys rock! George Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluemans335 Posted October 17, 2013 Share Posted October 17, 2013 I will get the Standard Pro and save a couple hundred bucks to put towards an amp and an distortion pedal. Good plan. No need to pay for bling when you're on a budget. Epi's making really nice guitars. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gypsyseven Posted October 17, 2013 Share Posted October 17, 2013 Thanks for the input. Crust- Thanks for the pics. Although I really want a solid Alpine White Les Paul, I will get the Standard Pro and save a couple hundred bucks to put towards an amp and an distortion pedal. You guys rock! George +1 [thumbup] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capmaster Posted October 18, 2013 Share Posted October 18, 2013 Does the custom have the "split parallelogram" headstock inlay ? I do love my LP standard plus top pro. If you are in the market for a beautiful looking as well as sounding and "playable" Epiphone Les Paul electric guitar, you'ld do well to take a real close look at that particular model. Here's a few pics of mine (Heritage Cherry Sunburst) Did I say I love this particular guitar ? lol Beautiful guitar with a great top! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George H. Posted October 20, 2013 Author Share Posted October 20, 2013 How do i find a retailer that is selling the "EXCLUSIVE - Available at selected retailers" colors? The 'buy now' link only show Epiphone retailers. George Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crust Posted October 20, 2013 Share Posted October 20, 2013 How do i find a retailer that is selling the "EXCLUSIVE - Available at selected retailers" colors? The 'buy now' link only show Epiphone retailers. George Check out the Guitar Center/Musicians Fiend site, they occasionally offer Epiphone "exclusive" guitars, like the "plus top" LP Special II I'm going to get the blue one, some day Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George H. Posted December 4, 2013 Author Share Posted December 4, 2013 Ok, so I made my purchase a few days ago. I hit Guitar Center for their 15% off non sale item and bought the ......... Epiphone LP Traditional Pro! Oh yeah, in black. I have an terrific story about Guitar Center's customer service if anyone would like to hear it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gunner Posted December 4, 2013 Share Posted December 4, 2013 I have an terrific story about Guitar Center's customer service if anyone would like to hear it. Do tell! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George H. Posted December 5, 2013 Author Share Posted December 5, 2013 Ok so here is my story... I am stationed in Saudi Arabia and I receive my mail through the APO system. I placed my order online through Guitar Center and was very happy to catch the 15% off non sale items promotion. I also had other items beside the guitar in my order; case, strap, strap locks, and picks. I was pleased with my purchase although I had to pay shipping about $19. I am friends with GC on Facebook and they posted one of those promotional advertising posts. I couldn't believe all the haters that were posting about how terrible GC was for only offering a 15% discount on Black Friday. So I chimed in and said my piece and that I was happy to be charged for only shipping and not tax, and the order was being shipped to an APO address. I didn't realize that GC had a person that actually monitors these comments, she emailed me and told me I shouldn't have even been charged for the shipping! Well I was surprised. I figured I was charged shipping because of being oversized. She refunded me the shipping charge. A few day later I was on Amazon and found the other items were each about $10 cheaper. So now I am feeling like a pest to this lady, I asked if she would pricematch them. With a pleasant email response she told me that she would look into it for me. The next email was terrific.... She was able to find the items even lower than what I told her so she gave me the lower price! Holy cow, I am a GC customer for life now. SO I saved another $50 after the discount on the guitar. Thanks for reading my story, I have had a smile since last Friday and can't wait for my Les Paul Traditional Pro to arrive. I will be burning up Rocksmith 2014 very soon. George Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crust Posted December 6, 2013 Share Posted December 6, 2013 Ok so here is my story... I am stationed in Saudi Arabia and I receive my mail through the APO system. I placed my order online through Guitar Center and was very happy to catch the 15% off non sale items promotion. I also had other items beside the guitar in my order; case, strap, strap locks, and picks. I was pleased with my purchase although I had to pay shipping about $19. I am friends with GC on Facebook and they posted one of those promotional advertising posts. I couldn't believe all the haters that were posting about how terrible GC was for only offering a 15% discount on Black Friday. So I chimed in and said my piece and that I was happy to be charged for only shipping and not tax, and the order was being shipped to an APO address. I didn't realize that GC had a person that actually monitors these comments, she emailed me and told me I shouldn't have even been charged for the shipping! Well I was surprised. I figured I was charged shipping because of being oversized. She refunded me the shipping charge. A few day later I was on Amazon and found the other items were each about $10 cheaper. So now I am feeling like a pest to this lady, I asked if she would pricematch them. With a pleasant email response she told me that she would look into it for me. The next email was terrific.... She was able to find the items even lower than what I told her so she gave me the lower price! Holy cow, I am a GC customer for life now. SO I saved another $50 after the discount on the guitar. Thanks for reading my story, I have had a smile since last Friday and can't wait for my Les Paul Traditional Pro to arrive. I will be burning up Rocksmith 2014 very soon. George dig it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capmaster Posted December 6, 2013 Share Posted December 6, 2013 Bingo, George! I cross my fingers for a decent shipment and wait for the pics here Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George H. Posted December 7, 2013 Author Share Posted December 7, 2013 Bingo, George! I cross my fingers for a decent shipment and wait for the pics here I was going to make one of those 'unboxing' videos that you see on Youtube, but I don't think I'll have the patience to set up the camera before ripping open the box. ;) I will post pics though. George Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gunner Posted December 7, 2013 Share Posted December 7, 2013 Great story George. Can't wait to see the new guitar! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George H. Posted December 14, 2013 Author Share Posted December 14, 2013 My guitar arrived a few days ago, but I just got back and picked it up. Oh man is it awesome! I picked up the Gator case along with it, Brown and Magenta. The Gator doesn't provide a snug fit though. Hopefully that won't be a problem since I don't plan to travel much with it. The guitar has what I think are could've-been-taken-care-of issues; The bridge pup looks as though the wax has been removed, teh back has many spots where the flat black paint didn't get down into the grain, the edges on the back have un finished end grain. Pics are included... good bad and ugly. I really do like this guitar though. Here it is folks; Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crust Posted December 14, 2013 Share Posted December 14, 2013 Black Beauty nice So, other than the cosmetic observations, how do you like the "action" ? Did you do a "set up", adjust the truss rod, bridge saddles ? How's the intonation. I'd say mines perfect..I'd say...Nice looking case..Stuff a polishing cloth or 2 in there to take up the slack. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capmaster Posted December 14, 2013 Share Posted December 14, 2013 Congrats, George, on your new Epiphone - HNGD! May it be that the back's look is just a typical one? There always seem to be ripples in the finishes of mahogany surfaces. All of my guitars do have orange peel on mahogany parts, regardless of Gibson, Epiphone, Fender or other make, and with any kind of finish. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George H. Posted December 15, 2013 Author Share Posted December 15, 2013 Black Beauty nice So, other than the cosmetic observations, how do you like the "action" ? Did you do a "set up", adjust the truss rod, bridge saddles ? How's the intonation. I'd say mines perfect..I'd say...Nice looking case..Stuff a polishing cloth or 2 in there to take up the slack. Apologies for not adding this in my previous post... First, Thanks for the great comments and help you guys offer. I am extremely happy with the my Traditional Pro. again, I had the Guitar shipped to Saudi Arabia, the weather here is extremely dry during the summer and I am in a high plains desert area. I say this because weather and altitude affect wood products, which is why most everything here is made out of concrete. As for a professional set up, there is no one in country that is capable of providing such service. I rely on YouTube and a couple friends that are here and help me throughout my learning. I picked up my guitar a few days after it arrived, so it had some time to acclimate. Upon inspection, The neck was dead straight, and all the strings were tuned down exactly 2 tones/pitches. Tuning was smooth and easy. I have been playing a Lag TA66ACE, electric acoustic, for a few months and there is a difference in the tuning machines. I did not experience any sort of fret buzz, except of course self inflicted. And as for the action, I haven't played enough to determine if I like it high or low. But straight out of the box my LP is easy for me to properly fret each string in the time it takes me to maneuver my fingers. The intonation was also spot on. I do not like the strap locks that came with my guitar. They have very sharp edges and I'm afraid that I'll drop them onto the guitar face and scar it. And if I were to wrap the cable from the jack and loop it through the rear of the strap, there's a possibility of the cord being gouged or cut. Bought some Ernie Ball strap locks and the included screws just don't fit correctly. I am a bit concerned about the bridge pickup. It looks as though the wax is faulty/missing. It doesn't look the same as the neck pickup. It plays good, but I have nothing to compare it too. The cosmetic issue could have been negated if I were to go to a brick store and visually check it out prior to purchase. But I will turn this to a positive and remember that this makes mine unique! :) I like seeing and feeling the grain of the wood and I'm happy that it's not covered by veneer or lacquer. I am partial, my wife calls it picky, to guitars being certain colors. I originally wanted the Custom Pro and it had to be white, my Trad Pro had to be black, and when I get my WildKat it will be white/gold combo. I don't care too much for the bursts'. oh, and my Strat will be Seafoam Green. I also prefer maple fingerboards, if only for looks and nothing else. I have a plan to get it pinstriped, but this may be down the raod when I finally get back home to Kansas. It's been a couple days since I first tuned and the strings are stretching a bit, which is to be expected. Does anyone know what type of strings Epiphone uses for their production models? The case is a gorgeously different piece of kit. I was going to add more photos, but I used up my size quota. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George H. Posted December 23, 2013 Author Share Posted December 23, 2013 I hope this works correctly... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capmaster Posted December 23, 2013 Share Posted December 23, 2013 Yes, it worked! Looks very pretty. Funny how they still call the coil split option coil tap... Anyway, the main thing is it operates as desired. B) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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