Povis Posted January 4, 2011 Posted January 4, 2011 hey, can anybody help with this guitar and tell me full name and what kind of les paul is this? here is the pic: http://www.freeimagehosting.net/image.php?c930ed13b5.jpg
RobinTheHood Posted January 4, 2011 Posted January 4, 2011 Yes, that is what is best known as an Epiphone Les Paul Fake model. Also sometimes referred to as the Forgery or Counterfeit model. AKA The Gotcha model Are you guys sure about that assessment? Because it looks like an Epiphone LP3 to me. Made from 1986 - 1989, very similar to the Epiphone super strats at the time, only with a Les Paul body. There was also an LP2 with two humbucker pickups and another model with just one humbucker (I'll assume its called an LP1) and no kill switches. The main features of these guitars were the Steinberger tremolo, H, H/H or H/S/S pickup configurations, and the kill switches on the HH & HSS models. They also had bolt-on maple necks, Gibson open-book headstock and a rounded-off, contoured body. I couldnt find any pics of the LP3, but here is an LP1. Note the lack of kill switches on the single PUP model. http://www.guitar-mu...inberger-bridge And here is an LP2. Its a craigslist ad, so check it while its hot. http://cedarrapids.c...2128861611.html I may have a pic or two of an LP3 at home.
brianh Posted January 4, 2011 Posted January 4, 2011 RTH & Pete R, clearly I should have waited for your responses. The thing that threw me off was the body shape - never seen that stubby horn except on fakes before. I stand corrected....
RobinTheHood Posted January 4, 2011 Posted January 4, 2011 It's kind of an oddball, isnt it? With the weird body shape and the open book headstock, it certainly looks suspicious to anyone not familiar with the model.
brianh Posted January 4, 2011 Posted January 4, 2011 It's kind of an oddball, isnt it? With the weird body shape and the open book headstock, it certainly looks suspicious to anyone not familiar with the model. Yup. And now I want one!
AnthemBassMan Posted January 5, 2011 Posted January 5, 2011 -Definitely not a fake. I remember the guitar shop I grew up going to had a couple Epi LP2s hanging on the wall for quite a while, one black, one white. This was in the late 80s. I can remember plain as day that the body was just a little different looking and having those same bland, rectangle fretboard inlays. But I'm pretty sure the one they had hanging had a stop bar/tun-o-matic bridge, not a Steinberger. I could be wrong on that part though... L8R, Matt
RobinTheHood Posted January 5, 2011 Posted January 5, 2011 I found this tonight... Les Paul 3 Manufacturer - Epiphone Period - 1985-1988 Construction Body type - Solid Neck joint - Bolt Scale - 25.5" Body - Basswood Neck - Maple Fretboard - Rosewood Bridge - Steinberger KB Tremolo Pickups - One Samick Vantage Humbucker, two single coil pickups. Colors available - Ebony and Pearl White. The Epiphone Les Paul 3 was introduced in 1985 along with the Epiphone Les Paul 1 and Les Paul 2. It was built by the Samick Corporation in Korea from 1985 to 1988. It is not derived from either the Epiphone Les Paul Custom or Les Paul Standard, as it predates both of them. It does, however, feature a split-diamond headstock inlay much like the Les Paul Custom. Features - One Samick Vantage humbucker in the bridge position - Samick single-coil pickups in the middle and neck positions - Black hardware - Locking nut - Locking Steinberger KB Tremolo - Carved Basswood body - Maple bolt-on neck - One master volume/one master tone controls with three kill switches (one for each pickup) - 22-fret Rosewood fretboard with "small block" inlays - 25.5" scale length - Colors available: Ebony and Pearl White. Body and Headstock The body is thinner than most Les Pauls and has a shallow belly contour on the back of the body. The headstock used on the Epiphone Les Pauls 1, 2, and 3 is similar to the Gibson "Open Book" headstock. The Steinberger KB tremolos used on the Epiphone Les Paul 1, 2, and 3 would commonly break. Serialization The serial numbers on 1980s Samick-built Epiphones were on a sticker on the headstock, which was commonly ripped off after purchase, making the dating of these models quite elusive. These serial numbers used the Y/MM/XXXX format. That means the first number was the last number of the year the guitar was made, the next two numbers were the month, and the last four were the production number (For example: "6100475" designates a guitar made in October of 1986, production number 0475). The Epiphone Les Pauls 1, 2, and 3 had stickers on their heels designating model and color (For example: "LP-3/PW" designates a Pearl White Les Paul 3).
RaSTuS Posted January 5, 2011 Posted January 5, 2011 Yup. And now I want one! ROTFLMAO, that's so funny.
Povis Posted January 5, 2011 Author Posted January 5, 2011 THANK YOU guys. you realy helped. Maby someone knows price of this model. it's definitely lp-3. it has a sticker LP-3/LB. i think it's a rare model. i couldn't find any photos of LP-3 on internet, only one is from this forum, few years ago, it was pearl white. p.s. sorry for my english if i've any mistakes :)
RobinTheHood Posted January 5, 2011 Posted January 5, 2011 Your English is fine. No worries. As for the price, its hard to say because there arent many out there for sale to compare to. Here are some of the bad points to this guitar: - Basswood body - not the most desirable tone wood on the market - Bolt on neck - In this case, not huge devaluer bacause there is no upper level set-neck model, but commonly looked down upon in Gibson/Epiphone circles. - Steinberger tremolo - Good by reputation, but this particular tremolo was known to break easily. Difficult to adjust and set up. - Vantage Pickups - I dont know about the 80's Vantage PUPS, but the early 90's Vantage pickups were terrible. Very thin, no meat and no sustain. Yours may be better, but I really dont know. The good: - Over 20 years old and looks to be in good shape. - Uncommon design. You dont see many of these. - Gibson-like open book headstock. Highly desireable on any Epiphone guitar. - Pickup Configuration. HSS is extremely rare on a Les Paul style guitar. - Kill switches. An uncommon addition to many guitars. Very 1980's. - Small block inlays. Many people dont like them, but the fact is that you just dont see them very often. The new LP Special GT is the only current Epiphone guitar that I can think of that has them. I think they are cool. So there you have it. My view on this guitar, at least. Personally, I like it and would absolutely own one. Not knowing the current value of these guitars, I'd have to say that I probably wouldnt pay more than $200 USD for one in top condition. But I could be way off. Just a guess.
Povis Posted January 5, 2011 Author Posted January 5, 2011 yes, the pickups are not very good, i thought about replacing them with something better. i placed both singlecoils as close as i could by the strings to get a stronger signal, now it sounds like a fender, it has that attack and high town. i was wondering is it possible that the price of this guitar may rise over the years? maybe i shouldn't do anything to her and keep it close to original?
RobinTheHood Posted January 5, 2011 Posted January 5, 2011 Hard to say, but my guess would be that it wouldnt increase in value that much. Between the basswood body and the Vantage pickups, I cant really see it increasing in price substantially. The thing is, this guitar is basically a Super Strat with a Les Paul body. Epiphone's super strats didnt really do all that well, even though they were fantastic playing guitars. The majority of them, much like the LP3, used inexpensive woods or laminates and inferior pickups. Even the top of the line X-1000 isnt retaining its value on the used market...I suspect partially because they put low-grade EMG Selects in a $800 guitar. If you like it, and it suits your playing style, keep it and do some upgrades. Better pickups will increase the value of the guitar, but only by as much as the worth of the pickups. If you dont like it, put it up for sale for $250 and see if you get any bites. Adjust your price accordingly if needed.
Povis Posted January 5, 2011 Author Posted January 5, 2011 i have no needs to sell it ore to do something with it because i have another guitar which is better. but talking about changing pickups, what kind of those would be best for this guitar. there are hundreds of pickups and i can't imagine which one is which :D
RobinTheHood Posted January 5, 2011 Posted January 5, 2011 i have no needs to sell it ore to do something with it because i have another guitar which is better. but talking about changing pickups, what kind of those would be best for this guitar. there are hundreds of pickups and i can't imagine which one is which :D It really depends on your tastes and music style. I'm not really well versed in pickup specifics, so I cant make any solid reccomendations. But I can tell you that almost anything will be an improvement over what is currently in the guitar...even low end name brands like the EMG Selects I mentioned earlier. A used set of MIM Fender Fat Strat pickups would be a huge improvement, and you can usually get them rather cheap. The Vantage pickups are so bad that you will be able to upgrade the pickups inexpensively and still have a major improvement in tone. Sorry I cant be of more help in the area. Its just not my expertise.
Povis Posted January 5, 2011 Author Posted January 5, 2011 you've already helped alot, thanks for your time :) maybe something good will come up from all of this :)
RobinTheHood Posted January 5, 2011 Posted January 5, 2011 You're welcome. Glad I could help. Good luck with your guitar and keep us posted about any upgrades you do!
Be.eM Posted January 6, 2011 Posted January 6, 2011 - Steinberger tremolo - Good by reputation, but this particular tremolo was known to break easily. Difficult to adjust and set up. There's help available In addition to the (probably known) permanent repair solution to the (mostly) bent posts I've also written a setup guide meanwhile, which can be downloaded in PDF format from here: The KB trem page Bernd
RobinTheHood Posted January 6, 2011 Posted January 6, 2011 There's help available In addition to the (probably known) permanent repair solution to the (mostly) bent posts I've also written a setup guide meanwhile, which can be downloaded in PDF format from here: The KB trem page Bernd Thanks! I knew this was floating around somewhere.
Povis Posted January 6, 2011 Author Posted January 6, 2011 yeah, i had this problem too, but in my case even the plate was bended. and i found a similar solution :) a little bit hammering and than tightened with screws instead of those new things that you've got :)
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