However Epiphone still delivers the best value for money of any brand (especially when you look at their acoustic guitars). While naturally the hardware isn’t flagship quality, you’re also not paying flagship prices. While there’s no point in rehashing the Gibson Vs Epiphone debate ( something we’ve covered previously), the Epiphone does a fine job at being a more accessible version of the Gibson. The Epiphone Les Paul Studio continues where the Gibson lets off. Shortly after it’s introduction in the early 80s, the Les Paul Studio became the choice for the discerning but slightly cash strapped player. Launched in the early 80s, The Gibson Les Paul studio was named as such because it was for the studio musician who wanted the sound of a Les Paul without paying for any of the extra binding, AAA tops or other flashy visual flair that adds nothing to the tone. In addition, the price point makes it ideal as a platform to replace the pickups and be on par with Gibson’s offerings. It’s a solid Les Paul with great hardware that feels comfortable and plays great. If you’re an intermediate player looking to pick up a great bang for the buck LP, the Studio is perfect. The Studio isn’t up there with the Standard or Custom as a flagship, but it’s also head and shoulders above the 100 and other beginner guitars. The new 2020 Epiphone lineup has meant that there’s a guitar for everyone, but it’s also made it harder to choose. We unquestionably recommend the 2020 Epiphone Les Paul Studio. The hardware has been upgraded for 2020 and now has no weak points. The guitar sounds just as good as the higher priced models. It is a killer guitar that sits right at the sweet spot of the Epiphone line-up, having a perfect balance of price and features. The 2020 Epiphone Les Paul Studio is arguably just as good as the Gibson counterpart, at half the price.
![sweetwater epiphone les paul sweetwater epiphone les paul](https://media.sweetwater.com/api/i/q-82__ha-f2cd9ea56bdabb67__hmac-3396b2235b27b6b7ec4fea8b4cc2c971833a8e50/images/items/750/LPJRPackEB-large.jpg)
Let’s take a deep dive into all that this classic Epi model has to offer – to us it’s easy to see why countless players have taken advantage of all that the Epiphone Les Paul models have to offer over their more expensive bigger (but not necessarily better) brothers.Ħ.3 So should you buy an Epiphone Les Paul Studio? You’ll find pretty much all the same features, build quality, and playability of the Gibson model, all at a much more affordable price point. That’s certainly true with the Epiphone Les Paul Studio. They look, play, smell, and feel just like the real deal – some players may not even be able to tell the difference in a blind test. If you’re trying to get some of that Les Paul vibe without having to take out a second mortgage on your house, then the Epiphone Les Paul Studio may just be the model that you are looking for.Įpiphone (owned by Gibson, by the way) has manufactured a number of killer Les Paul models over the years. It’s also fair to say that it has earned its reputation by being one of the more expensive models on the market. The Les Paul has the distinction of being one of the most iconic guitar designs of all time.