Hides-His-Eyes Posted January 5, 2009 Share Posted January 5, 2009 I have a japanese fender fat strat, which i like, but i want a hardtail with good sustain to diversify so i thought "Epiphone LP"? I'm resigned to the fact i'm going to have to change the pickups (muddiness is intolerable and i'll want to put in a coil split/tap ) but apart from cosmetics, what's the difference between the studio, standard plain-top and custom plus les pauls? I like the worn brown finish, but then i like the dark vintage sunburst too. But those models are another £150-200... Better woods? better pickups? £200 for the sunburst and the binding? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AyushPresley Posted January 5, 2009 Share Posted January 5, 2009 well when you talk about the Standard plain or plus and the Studio, the only difference between them are as you said cosmetic..pickups are the same with the fact that they have covers on them...as far as that they are all same..the bindings and the cosmetics like the colors, flamed maple etc put the standard series in a bit more expensive side..but if you talk about the custom they have slightly better quality of hardware and the pickups are much better than the one's on the Standards/Studios..paying an extra 200 wouldn't be a waste actually but the standards are pretty good too.. they are not bad at all..i'd say go with the standard plain/plus, they are lovely and you can save a bit later if you want to tweak it in some way.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hides-His-Eyes Posted January 5, 2009 Author Share Posted January 5, 2009 Well, 'tweak' here equates to a £150 set of wood covered Dual Coil (2 singles) humbuckers... So it's nothing build quality? If i like the worn natural finish i can spend the money i save on some excellent handmade pickups and end up with a guitar that sounds just as good and won't look like slash? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AyushPresley Posted January 5, 2009 Share Posted January 5, 2009 well honestly the build quality is pretty much similar..on the Epi's from studios-Customs, Customs being a bit superior though..but that is a bit only....so you're talking about a worn brown means you're looking for a studio ?? it's not bad at all, studios have the same configuration as that of the Standard the differences we're talking about is about $100-150 studios don't have..Trapezoid inlays, Chrome Covered Pickups, Bindings, and the finish..so if you like the studio go for it..it gives you a clean feel... and like you said change the pickups..it really doesn't matter if it looks like slash !! if you wanna look like slash then get the slash signature tobacco burst then hopefully you won't have to tweak it, or get a Tobacco burst Standard Plus and then tweak it...you'll look like Slash and hopefully play like him too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hides-His-Eyes Posted January 5, 2009 Author Share Posted January 5, 2009 "won't look like slash" was under my list of positives thanks for your help, i'll head down to sound control once my exams finish and see about getting a studio. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AyushPresley Posted January 5, 2009 Share Posted January 5, 2009 http://forums.epiphone.com/Default.aspx?g=posts&t=7208 here there's studio..and it looks really good and the only thing it's missing is the bindings..if you can get any older studios you'll have Trapezoid inlays... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RSDx Posted January 6, 2009 Share Posted January 6, 2009 "won't look like slash" was under my list of positives :P Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TWANG Posted January 6, 2009 Share Posted January 6, 2009 +1 on the studio. I've posted a zillion times on that guitar. I'm really happy with mine. TWANG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
generation zero Posted January 6, 2009 Share Posted January 6, 2009 In my experience, between the studio, the standard, and the custom, the build quality is best on the standard. The extra binding work on the custom gives them more places to screw up... My natural custom was far from flawless in that area. The studios have an unexplainable "cheap" feel about them in comparison, to my hands anyway. Not drastic, but noticable. Of the three, based on my experience having owned one each of a studio and a custom, and about a half dozen standards, and having also played about 4 or 5 more of each in guitar center, I can honestly say that the standards consistently feel the most well-built. Also, best I can tell, the hardware is identical on all three, aside from chrome vs. gold. I think they do use different models of epi pickups, but that is moot if you already plan to upgrade them, which is a wise choice. I would suggest playing a few studios and a few standards before deciding, but I doubt you would justify spending the extra for a custom. You may love the studio... Personally, I did not. Especially the current model... I owned a mid nineties model studio that was a lot nicer than today's epi studios. The other thing to remember about a studio is that the body is a tiny bit thinner IIRC, which will have a noticable effect on tone. again, for you that could be a positive thing or a negative... I strongly suggest trying both. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TWANG Posted January 6, 2009 Share Posted January 6, 2009 your mileage may vary. Mine is an older model. but not thin. also it doesn't feel cheap at all in anyway. however, it's a sunburst and I don't see them around anymore. so if you can see one in person, you should be able to check out zeros comments, and you'd probably find a lot of truth in them, too. they change these epis too much! TWANG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
generation zero Posted January 6, 2009 Share Posted January 6, 2009 Yeah, the body thickness was a very slight difference, less than an 1/8" difference. Almost impossible to notice unless you literally hold it up to a standard to compare. The tonal difference wasn't drastic, but the studio was a little brighter than the standard. Of course, uncovered pickups versus covered plays a part in that as well, added to the fact that they are probably different models of pickups aside from the covers. Twang's right, there is a big variance in all epis from year to year, factory to factory. I'm sure there are studios out there that feel as nice or even nicer than some standards... You just have to play as many as you can get your hands on before you buy. Same can be said for any lower end guitar, especially one made overseas. You can play 5 of the exact same guitar, same finish, same factory, and two will be decent, two will be garbage, and one just might be amazing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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