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Are Epi LP's weight relieved?


MI_Canuck

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Besides the Ultra/Ultra II, are Epiphone Les Paul Standards weight relieved in any way? Either by chambering or "swiss cheese" holes? If so, what year would they have started?

 

Seems like most Gibson LPs these days are either weight relieved or chambered (since '06 I think), except for some Custom Shop models. Wondering if the same case for Epis.

 

 

cheers

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THe weight varies in line with the natural variation in timber. [and we know that quite a wide variety is employed in modern Epi LP construction !].

 

They are not chambered or purposely "weight relieved"..though some might argue that the size of the switch wiring rout amounts almost to chambering ! O:)

 

The weight relieving technique employed by Gibson in les Paul Production is a non issue for me. It is no more or less than what it's called. Players want lighter guitars...so they make them lighter. Gibson know perfectly well that drilling a few peripheral holes in a heavy chunk of wood will not make it sound like a light chunk of wood. It will just feel like one !

Chambering is a different thing altogether. It does have a tonal affect and adds just a hint of ES "honk" to the sound. Arguably preferable to the excess "flab" in the sound of some heavier Les Pauls .

 

FWIW the typical current Gibson Standard weighs in at a tad over 9lb, with Epis varying between 8 & 9... depending on which tree was lying around outside O:)

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My Gibson LP is about the same weight as my Fender Ash Strat. My Epi LP is somewhere in the same range. It feels heavy, but I'm a big guy at 235# and really don't mind the weight. I have had the Epi apart and it is cut pretty tight in terms of routing for the pickups and switch, although I think the switch routing is sized to use either the straight or right angle SG style pup switch. I had to Dremel out the end of the pickup routings to clear SD pickups and make the pup poles match the strings.

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  • 12 years later...

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