I've always had a love-hate relationship with Les Pauls. Love the look, love the sound, hate the weight and the big thick body. Owned a few, sold them all.
Lately I've been going through a let's-give-an-LP-a-try-again phase, and for a while I've been scouring eBay for Orvilles, Grecos and the like, never quite finding one I was prepared to take the plunge on (or someone else beat me to it). Then I stumbled on this one, at a price similar to the Japanese ones but without the hefty shipping costs or import charges. Put a bid in, not really expecting to win, but lo and behold I was the only bidder (just equalled the reserve price, too).
It's a brand which will be familiar to Twinfan and Ian Price - a Signature. A Signature SQT1-HB, to be precise, built at Fuji-gen Gakki in Japan and imported to the UK by Tanglewood.
Build quality is really, really good. I'm assuming that quilt top is a foto-flame (foto-quilt?) or veneer, but I'm sure there's a proper maple top underneath it. Body's two-piece, neck shape is sort of '50s-meets-'60s, neck joint (apparently) is long tenon. Weight is manageable! Comparing with my Japanese Epiphone Juniors, and looking at pictures of Epiphone "open-book headstock" and "Elitist" Les Pauls, I'm certain this is exactly the same guitar with a different headstock. Of course the lack of a "name" reduces the value, but I'm not too bothered about that.
All in all, a good purchase I think, even if it was an unplanned one. :D
