Devildog48 Posted June 8, 2022 Share Posted June 8, 2022 Hello everyone. I had received this guitar from my Dad for Christmas in 2019. Obviously cosmetically modified as well as different pickups. The neck is a DiMarzio PAF 59 and the bridge is a DiMarzio super distortion. Other than the above mentioned pickups the electronics and hardware are original other than having the bridge replaced due to wear. I'm just wondering what I have here as far as value. I see elite/elitist Les Paul custom models available for a wide range of prices. The condition is fair due to a few scratches and dings. I'm not planning on selling it but just wanted to know. I have received a few guitars from my brother and my dad over the past two years. I look at this particular guitar as my flagship of the collection. Am I wrong? I recently purchased a fender Mexican stratocaster in cherry burst plus maple top. How would my Epiphone Elite rate compared to the new guitar? First or second? More of value than model as both are their own separate animal. Thank you for any feed back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mihcmac Posted June 12, 2022 Share Posted June 12, 2022 (edited) Beautiful Elite Les Paul Custom... The Elite/Elitist built at Fugi-gen in Japan tend to bring a higher value depending on the popularity of the specific model starting at about 1k and up. Also note that the headstock shape that yours has is not very common, Elite/Elitist use a few different headstocks typically the clipped ear headstock. Also note the 2 screw Gibson style nut cover, most Epi's have the 3 screw style cover. When comparing for price, match the Custom style bound headstock shape and the 2 screw nut cover. Serial number: F300359 Production year: 2003 Serie: 00359 Made by Fuji-gen, Japan (Model: Elite/Elitist) Edited June 12, 2022 by mihcmac Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Red 333 Posted June 13, 2022 Share Posted June 13, 2022 All Elitist/Elitist guitars based on Gibson models (Les Pauls, SGs, ES-335, J-45, J-200, L-00, Byrdland, Country Gentleman, etc.) have the "tombstone" headstock as shown in the picture, except for select models produced for the Japanese domestic market, which may have the Gibson "open book" headstock. All have the two hole Gibson style "bell" truss rod cover. The Elitist EB-2 bass (SG body style) also had a "tombstone" headstock (though wider in dimension). The Elitist Thunderbird bass had the Fenderish headstock used by Gibson typically on that model and the Firebird. All Elitist/Elitists based on vintage Epiphone models (Casino, Riviera, Sheraton, Texan, etc.) had the "paddle" style headstock that their vintage counterpart would have come with. The Broadway, a 1990's-ish creation which is based more on the Gibson ES-5 than the vintage Epiphone Broadway, had a large "clipped wing" headstock. All would have had the three hole Epiphone "bullet" truss rod cover. The exception to the number of holes on the truss rod cover are on the John Lennon signature Casino and Paul McCartney Texan, which were sometimes also called Eltist. They had two holes in the truss rod cover, as their vintage counterparts would have had. There was a model called the Les Paul Elite that did have the clipped wing headstock, but it is not an Elite/Elitist. Red 333 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Red 333 Posted June 15, 2022 Share Posted June 15, 2022 I can't seem to edit my post, so just a note that I meant Elite/Elitist. I'm not sure if I mistyped it as Elitist/Elitist TWICE or spellcheck got the better of me or what. And if anyone could let me know where the "edit" function went, I'd appreciate it. Red 333 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Devildog48 Posted June 15, 2022 Author Share Posted June 15, 2022 Thank you for the replys. It is a very nice guitar and one of my prized possessions. I try to keep it well preserved and wipe it down good after every practice session. The guitar weighs in at a little over 10 pounds and feels solid unlike other Epiphone Les Paul guitars I've handled. The research I've done basically puts the elite/elitist models at the top in league with American made Gibson guitars. I wish I had a model that was original available to compare the pickups to the ones in mine. Great sounding guitar though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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