Author Topic: My 1994 Epiphone Les Paul has a secret ... (Read 11865 times)

Scotty477 · « **on:** January 28, 2008, 10:49:13 AM »

Just as the subject title says ...

My 1994 birds eye maple top Epiphone Les Paul (natural finish) has a secret :o

I've decided to sell it on ebay after owning it for 10 years. It's my backup guitar to my Gibson LP but I basically don't need it anymore.

So ... I thought I'd have a close look at it and put a description together. I knew the guitar had a very light coloured wood on the body and neck and the birds eye cap was very unusual but to be honest I hadn't given it much thought.

It turns out that this particular model was only made in 94 and 95 and has a few unique peculiarities.

The tuners are kluson copies made by Gotoh. The body and neck is made of basswood - not Indonesian mahogany as per normal - and the cap is made of alder, with a maple veneer. The body is also a full 2" thick - as opposed to the later thinner bodies.

I had often wondered why the guitar sounded so ... vibrant and clear. Now I know. I just wish I could keep it. I'm betting the right set of BKP's would be awesome in that basswood/alder combination.

I just thought I'd share that, in case anyone has one of these and out of general interest.

My last thought is will this devalue the guitar or make it more attractive on ebay?

Twinfan · « **Reply #1 on:** January 28, 2008, 11:15:50 AM »

I think it might devalue it. It doesn't have the "correct" specs.

But then a lot Epi buyers just want a Les Paul, so who knows????

Henk · « **Reply #2 on:** January 28, 2008, 11:17:50 AM »

Someone buying that guitar will look at the price and looks, they dont care what wood it is.

Ive played one like that but didnt like the construction, allthough it sounded OK.

It isnt anything secret, most chinese Epi's are made the same way, the neck is not basswood though, but a oriental grown maple (the dreaded soft kind of maple) or an oriental grown mahagony(indonesian but also from other countries), which is quite hard(more often used for thinner necks?) but has rather bland tonal properties.

And BTW, the old ibby japan factory LP copies were also often made with a basswood body, so there is nothing strange about it really.

If you want a more clear sounding LP just find yourself a 70's Gibson LP which was made with a maple neck like the ones i have ;) Shame they dont make those anymore, probably they just were too good :P

Scotty477 · « **Reply #3 on:** January 28, 2008, 11:30:28 AM »

The neck is slightly darker and has a 60's slim feel to it, so I'd imagine it may be mahogany then.

I didn't know about the Ibanez LP's being basswood as well. Interesting stuff.

The ironic thing is that I chose this Epi LP over a lot of others (Epi Lp's) because I like the tone a lot more :D

I've just now decided to keep it. The basswood/alder/mahogany combination is giving me ideas on how to reinvent the guitar as a Blues machine.

I think I need to go look at the products section ....

Henk · « **Reply #4 on:** January 28, 2008, 11:46:28 AM »

Soft maple is also darker then basswood, and not all ibby LP's are basswood, but alot of the cheap LP's(under different brand names) made in the ibby factory are.

Scotty477 · « **Reply #5 on:** January 28, 2008, 11:54:45 AM »

Quote from: Henk

Soft maple is also darker then basswood, and not all ibby LP's are basswood, but alot of the cheap LP's(under different brand names) made in the ibby factory are.

Ah ok then. I need to do my homework and find out what the neck is then.

Just going back to your earlier post, regarding the neck. The tone that the guitar gives isn't really bland at all. It's best described as slightly 'brighter' than a mahogany LP - but still has that characteristic LP tone. It's harder to desribe but it was the reason I picked that guitar over other (mahogany) Epi LP's - although I didn't know why at the time.

Henk · « **Reply #6 on:** January 28, 2008, 02:43:27 PM »

The 94 epi i tried had a maple neck at least, mahagony will have a brown to reddish brown color. Youll be able to tell the difference immediately if you have a look at your gibson. And anyway a good epi would defintely sound better then a bad gibson, so i wouldnt worry too much about it.

Mahagony is supposed to sound a bit dark but still quite clear(highs, if even denser, sparcle), didnt find the lighter(in weight not color) asian grown mahagony had these characteristics, and just sounded dark to me. Probably there are some nice samples though, never cared to find out.

Anyway, i thought the epi sounded OK for the price, but i didnt like the feel of it.

If you like playing it compared to your Gibby, i would surely keep it, you cant have enough guitars IMO. With me it would end up in the back corner for sure..... :P

Im sure a basswood guitar can sound better then any of my gibsons by the way, but a quality guitar is not all about how it sounds, its a variety of aspects. Its like with cars, there is more to them then how well it drives.......

Anyway, nuf said, as long as you enjoy it, keep it. If you dont use it anymore, toss it. At least thats how i think about it.

Scotty477 · « **Reply #7 on:** January 28, 2008, 02:58:43 PM »

You're spot on Henk.

My Epi LP only compares to my Gibson LP in shape. It feels and sounds markedly different. Not in a bad way - just different. It's never going to approach the quality of the Gibby but the Epi has characteristics all of it's own that make it interesting.

In any case, given what I know now of it's build, I don't think I'll get a decent price for it on ebay. Unless someone is actively looking for a '94 birds eye maple top - which I would doubt.

My thoughts were to perhaps fit BKP's into it, using a set that will make it sound even more Bluesy.

I know this isn't the section for it but I'm thinking Stormy Monday neck with a Black Dog bridge.

If I do go ahead with this, I'll start a new thread in the appropriate section.

Cheers :D

Henk · « **Reply #8 on:** January 28, 2008, 03:32:04 PM »

Well that always sounds like solid idea.

If you decide to get a different guitar, you allready know the pickups and can look for a better guitar more specifically.

Will · « **Reply #9 on:** January 28, 2008, 05:19:37 PM »

In your position, I would keep it, no matter what its worth, it sounds pretty cool, and if you like it, I'm guessing its also lighter in weight, which is useful at times :)

Scotty477 · « **Reply #10 on:** January 28, 2008, 05:42:05 PM »

It's slightly lighter than my Gibson LP - which is solid, unchambered - but only by 1-2 pounds at the most.

_tom_ · « **Reply #11 on:** January 30, 2008, 12:48:14 AM »

I hope the Pearl LP I'm buying off Twinfan isnt secretly basswood :( I hated the last basswood guitar I had, no matter what pickup I put in it, the sound was always fizzy and scooped :\

Twinfan · « **Reply #12 on:** January 30, 2008, 09:29:46 AM »

It doesn't sound scooped to me Tom? It's a big thick sound to my ears....

Scotty477 · « **Reply #13 on:** January 30, 2008, 09:43:07 AM »

I can chip in with the fact that my basswood Epi LP is neither fizzy or scopped sounding. It has a very articulate, vibrant tone (even with stock pup's) and I can't wait to hear what it sounds like with some BKP's in it.

_tom_ · « **Reply #14 on:** January 30, 2008, 11:24:48 AM »

Ah, good :D Chances are my Charvel just had a cr@p bit of basswood then.