woodshed Posted March 27, 2009 Share Posted March 27, 2009 New to posting though I've lurked on & off for quite some time. Is the current Chinese made Epi LP Standard Plain Top & Plus Top veneer top or solid? The Epi web site says "flame maple" for the Plus Top & "maple" for the Plain Top. The LP Standard Ebony is solid mahogany I understand. I'm looking at an Ebony Standard & a Vintage Sunburst Flame Top Standard locally & they're both very nice but I want to know (for sure) if the top is veneer or maple. Thanks in advance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Summerisle Posted March 27, 2009 Share Posted March 27, 2009 New to posting though I've lurked on & off for quite some time. Is the current Chinese made Epi LP Standard Plain Top & Plus Top veneer top or solid? The Epi web site says "flame maple" for the Plus Top & "maple" for the Plain Top. The LP Standard Ebony is solid mahogany I understand. I'm looking at an Ebony Standard & a Vintage Sunburst Flame Top Standard locally & they're both very nice but I want to know (for sure) if the top is veneer or maple. Thanks in advance. I don't know for certain, but given that it's an Epi, my guess would be mahogany body + maple cap + flame maple veneer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyingfrets Posted March 27, 2009 Share Posted March 27, 2009 Paper thin veneer. And forget about it being a maple cap. It may be a maple-type cap (aka alder) or whatever mystery wood they're trying to get rid of, but don't hold out hope for anything of appreciable quality. Decent guitars, but they're like a decent bologna sandwich...you're better off not asking what's in it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matiac Posted March 27, 2009 Share Posted March 27, 2009 Mystery cap, Maple veneer...probably...alder top, I think? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
InsideMan Posted March 27, 2009 Share Posted March 27, 2009 No, I think they're solid maple with a mahogany veneer on the back and sides. ;-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rockstar232007 Posted March 28, 2009 Share Posted March 28, 2009 1-3 piece Mahogany Body Alder Top/Flame Maple Veneer. The only LPs made overseas, to sport solid maple tops are, those made by, Greco, Orville, and the old Japanese made Epi LPs (Gibson-style Headstock). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whitmore Willy Posted March 28, 2009 Share Posted March 28, 2009 Haven't used my table saw in awhile.......so...... Just kidding: http://www.epiphone.com/news.asp?NewsID=115 Part of a MF 1/2 off sale? I would guess most models are the same, just different veneer caps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oneblackened Posted March 28, 2009 Share Posted March 28, 2009 Most are alder with veneer from what I gather. If not, it's mahogany with a veneer. Or, they have the maple top. cool. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wiggy Posted March 28, 2009 Share Posted March 28, 2009 Mine is 'Mahogany' (in actual fact Nato) body, 3/8" genuine maple cap and 1/16" flame maple veneer on the top and 1/16" honduran mahogany veneer on the rear. This was told me by Gibson when I queried the construction and subsequently confirmed by the luthier who fixed a couple of small problems with it. Not sure why they used Honduran mahogany for the rear veneer as it adds nothing to the guitar over any other mahogany veneer. Possibly they had some boards which weren't good enough for Gibby bodies but could be used to make veneer sheets. My guess is that they use whatever they have available at the time which probably depends on what they get the best deal on in the bulk timber market. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woodshed Posted March 28, 2009 Author Share Posted March 28, 2009 If the Standard Plus Top is a veneer on top of a maple top, that's cool. And a veneer "top" would be cool, too, as long as I know what it is beforehand. I'd hate to believe it is a flame maple top the Plus Top, only to discover it's a veneer & no maple at all. As far as the mahogany goes, maybe it's African mahogany & not Nato? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lpfan Posted March 28, 2009 Share Posted March 28, 2009 All I know is its all wood. LOL! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
InsideMan Posted March 28, 2009 Share Posted March 28, 2009 If you go to the site cited by Whitmore Willy, you will note that they mention the LP is mahogany with a maple cap. However, if you look at the date at the top of the page, it is 2004. I think things have probably changed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wiggy Posted March 29, 2009 Share Posted March 29, 2009 If the Standard Plus Top is a veneer on top of a maple top' date=' that's cool. And a veneer "top" would be cool, too, as long as I know what it is beforehand. I'd hate to believe it is a flame maple top the Plus Top, only to discover it's a veneer & no maple at all. As far as the mahogany goes, maybe it's African mahogany & not Nato? [/quote'] The mahogany is going to be pretty much whatever they're using at the time so could be nato, could be african, could be a number of things that can be called 'mahogany'. The cap again could be maple or might be alder depending on what they're using. Same with the rosewood on the fretboard - there are a number of 'rosewoods' out there but you can be sure that it's not the same as the stuff they use on high end guitars. The only way you're ever going to tell for sure is to look in both the pickup and control cavities which might be difficult before you've bought it. One thing you can pretty much guarantee is that the figured maple (flame, quilted, etc) is going to be a veneer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
InsideMan Posted March 29, 2009 Share Posted March 29, 2009 In the end, does it really matter? An alder cap increases the sustain just like a maple cap. The veneer makes it pretty. If the overall heft of the guitar is right, the sustain is good, and the neck is fast, then it's a good guitar. Period. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wiggy Posted March 29, 2009 Share Posted March 29, 2009 +1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eryl Posted March 16, 2019 Share Posted March 16, 2019 I don't know for certain, but given that it's an Epi, my guess would be mahogany body + maple cap + flame maple veneer. right on solid Mahogany body, a few Tributes sported carved Maple Caps, now there are machined maple caps and flame veneer over. Nothing cheap nor shoddy about Epiphone instruments according to the minions of Pros associated with and playing Epi's, since the 50's... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Col Mustard Posted March 16, 2019 Share Posted March 16, 2019 I agree with Inside Man... If it's an Epiphone, it doesn't matter what it's made of. What you're trying to do when you buy an Epiphone is get a decent guitar at a VERY reasonable price. And Epiphone delivers. For what you pay (and for what I've paid) we get very serviceable guitars. Just get them set up properly and then play them. Don't ask too many questions. My Step Daughter's Epiphone Les Paul Special ll is a great example of this. I've done some up grades on it, and it has responded by becoming an excellent instrument. It's got great tone and lots of sustain. The plywood body seems to make no difference to tone and sustain. The bolt on neck seems to be fine, (and it fits very well in the body by the way). If you want to go cork sniffing, you need to save up for a Gibson. And at this stage in the collapse of the "tone wood" biz, we can expect just about anything to be used to make guitars. Gibson is going bankrupt and Epiphone sells guitars world wide. go figure... I said after Gibson was raided by Federal Agents and their contraband tone wood was confiscated, that Gibson should go about the US buying up all the dead bowling alleys, and repurposing all that hard maple from the lanes, to make guitars out of. Imagine if you will, the Gibson Les Paul "Brunswick Special" where you pay a premium to get one of those red triangles at the 12th fret... Imagine if you will the Gibson SG AMF... I've said in the past that Epiphone should buy Gibson from its creditors. That would be a flip flop, wouldn't it? Who knows what the future will bring, (if any). If Gibson can't survive in the USA, maybe Epiphone can keep it alive. Ah but nobody listens to me... dunno why I own two Epiphones... and I like them both very much. My '06 Wilshire replica is quite well made, and set up perfectly, and upgraded to the hilt. On my Wilshire, the only parts left that were made in China are the body and the neck. Since it's covered in white polyurethane paint, no one will ever know what kind of wood this guitar is made of. But it plays great, and it sounds great, and the neck has been stable for the nine years I've owned this guitar. So this one is another example... made of whatever, but feeling and sounding great (after upgrades). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Revolution Six Posted March 16, 2019 Share Posted March 16, 2019 Post a picture It' s photoflame, standard for a poor chinese copy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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