Epiphone Slash Les Paul Classic Electric Guitar

...dubious at first. Would epiphone be able to capture a sound that comes from a over1100 pound guitar in a sub 500pound package? The answer is an astounding YES!

BUILD/LOOKS
the first thing I noticed when I picked up this guitar was how reasuringly solid it felt. You get the feeling that if you threw this guitar off of a cliff it would still be playable afterwards! the dimensions of the guitar are well thought-out and it sits ...
...by far the most attractive epiphone guitar out there!! You will look INCREDIBLE on stage with this thing!!
The neck has the same finish as the body making a very pleasant and place to rest your thumb. it is also very easy to manouver due to the slickness of the finish, so good for dive-bombs and sudden position shifts.
It is important to note, however, that the fret is very wide!! this is not ideal for those with small hands!
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When Gibson and Epihphone got together to do a dual-launch of Slash Signature Guitars I was dubious at first. Would epiphone be able to capture a sound that comes from a over1100 pound guitar in a sub 500pound package? The answer is an astounding YES!

BUILD/LOOKS
the first thing I noticed when I picked up this guitar was how reasuringly solid it felt. You get the feeling that if you threw this guitar off of a cliff it would still be playable afterwards! the dimensions of the guitar are well thought-out and it sits evenly on the lap.
the shape of the body and the density of the wood also give it an amazing sound (which I will address later). The high frets are not particulary easy to access though, due to the shape of the body.
the glued-in neck gives the guitar an incredible sustain and contributes to the solid feel of the instrument.
the colour of the finish (cherry red?) and the way that it has been applied means that this is by far the most attractive epiphone guitar out there!! You will look INCREDIBLE on stage with this thing!!
The neck has the same finish as the body making a very pleasant and place to rest your thumb. it is also very easy to manouver due to the slickness of the finish, so good for dive-bombs and sudden position shifts.
It is important to note, however, that the fret is very wide!! this is not ideal for those with small hands!

SOUND
The low end sound on this guitar is incredible, i have never payed a sub-500pound guitar with better low end tone and sustain. It has a unique character and a good range of sounds.
the only slight problem is that, particularly at the high end of the fret board, the guitar can sound very 'tight'. this problem is easily rectified with an EQ or reverb pedal but when this is combined with how difficutl it is to access the high frets it makes a big NONO for shredders!
WITH an EQ pedal, however, the top end of the guitar sounds sweet and sustains well.

PROBLEMS
On a budget guitar that is supposed to mimic a premium guitar, there has to be cut-backs to achieve a cheaper price. The cutbacks on this model are definately in the finishing department.
Whilst the guitar is aesthetically amazing the finish is actualy surpirisingly delicate, One stray button can cause huge superficial damage to the back of the guitar. (sadly, I speak from experience here:S:S:S!)
the Neck inlays are also rough around the edges and the trim that surrounds the guitar is applied unevenly around the neck making an ugly 'double line'. The plastic machine heads are also a crying out for replacement.

OVERALL
This guitar has now been discontinued and is sure fetch a fortune eventually. If you manage to preserve a copy without damaging the delicate finish i am sure that it will be valuable in years to come.
The guitar has a very pleasing low end sound and is very easy to play for a les paul. The electronics are of an excellent quality, but the bridge pickup can sound slightly empty without an EQ pedal. i would recommend this to anyone who likes the les paul sound but doesn;t have the money to buy the 'real' thing. it looks amazing and will make you the envy of your friends!
hope this helps you decide!
Alex:) 

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