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Epiphone Les Paul Custom Blackback Limited-Edition Electric Guitar $599 or $551 w Rewards + free S&H

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Epiphone Les Paul Custom Blackback Limited-Edition Electric Guitar Antique Ivory is for sale at Musician's Friend for $599 ($130 discount, 18% off from $729)

Free shipping.

Save additional 8% ($48) with Rewards Program (cash for future purchases)

https://www.musiciansfriend.com/g...X2&irgwc=1


The limited-edition Les Paul Blackback celebrates the 1950s classic.
The Les Paul Custom Blackback is a limited-edition electric and part of Epiphone's Inspired by Gibson Collection. Honoring the 1950s classic designed by Les Paul himself, known as the "tuxedo" version of his groundbreaking solid-body masterpiece, the Blackback electric features the specs and appointments of the original. With a traditional Custom-style mahogany body and ebony fingerboard, this limited-edition electric feels just like the original 1950s instrument. Additional features include gold hardware, ProBucker humbuckers with CTS electronics, Grover machine heads and Custom-style inlay.

Features:
Mahogany body and neck
SlimTaper neck profile
LockTone ABR bridge
Grover Rotomatic tuners
Dual ProBucker pickups


Specifications:
Les Paul Custom Blackback Limited-Edition Electric Guitar Specifications:
Body
Body Type: Single Cutaway Solid Body
Body wood: Mahogany
Neck
Neck shape: Slim Taper
Neck wood: Mahogany
Scale length: 24.75"
Truss rod: Standard
Fingerboard
Material: Ebony
Number of frets: 22
Inlays: Pearloid Block
Nut width/material: 1.69"/GraphTech
Electronics
Configuration: HH
Neck: Proprietary Humbucker
Bridge: Proprietary Humbucker
Control layout: Individual volume, Individual volume, Individual tone, Individual tone
Hardware
Bridge type: Fixed Bridge
Bridge design: LockTone ABR
Tailpiece: Stopbar
Tuning machines: Sealed High-ratio
Color: Gold
Other
Number of strings: 6 String
Orientation: Right-Handed

https://www.musiciansfriend.com/g...X2&irgwc=1
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Joined Apr 2016
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> bubble2 643 Posts
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LowKeyG
11-26-2021 at 04:41 AM.
11-26-2021 at 04:41 AM.
The button and image didn't pull up the right listing for me for some reason. The middle hyperlink worked, though.
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Joined Dec 2008
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> bubble2 3,700 Posts
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rumata13
11-27-2021 at 02:09 AM.
11-27-2021 at 02:09 AM.
Quote from LowKeyG :
The button and image didn't pull up the right listing for me for some reason. The middle hyperlink worked, though.
fixed link #2
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Joined Nov 2010
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> bubble2 1,278 Posts
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RumzDizzle
11-27-2021 at 09:33 AM.

Our community has rated this post as helpful. If you agree, why not thank RumzDizzle

11-27-2021 at 09:33 AM.
Just heads up, specs say country of origin is USA… these are made in China. Don't know why specs say that. Still prob a solid guitar, Epi customs are usually pretty solid after a good setup.

50's necks are a thicker profile than 60's necks, personal preference but I would recommend slimmer neck profiles for beginners.
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Joined Dec 2008
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> bubble2 3,700 Posts
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Original Poster
rumata13
11-27-2021 at 12:03 PM.
11-27-2021 at 12:03 PM.
Quote from RumzDizzle :
Just heads up, specs say country of origin is USA… these are made in China. Don't know why specs say that. ...
Of course it's not made in the USA, no Epiphones are made in the States. Like all Epiphones these are made in Asia, China or Indonesia.

Obvious typo on the product page.
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Joined Jul 2009
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> bubble2 11 Posts
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yhzh
11-28-2021 at 08:15 AM.
11-28-2021 at 08:15 AM.
Quote from rumata13 :
Of course it's not made in the USA, no Epiphones are made in the States. Like all Epiphones these are made in Asia, China or Indonesia.

Obvious typo on the product page.
There are some made in the USA Epiphone acoustics now, and you won't mistake the prices for made in China.
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Joined Dec 2008
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> bubble2 3,700 Posts
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Original Poster
rumata13
11-29-2021 at 06:28 AM.
11-29-2021 at 06:28 AM.
Price went down by another $30 Cyber Monday, it's $599 now:

https://www.musiciansfriend.com/g...ric-guitar
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Joined Feb 2008
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> bubble2 720 Posts
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Outcass
11-29-2021 at 02:23 PM.
11-29-2021 at 02:23 PM.
Looks beautiful. Maybe next year. Just got a Fender Strat Player Series. Is this a good Les Paul?
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Last edited by Outcass November 29, 2021 at 02:28 PM.

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Joined Jan 2019
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> bubble2 7 Posts
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Mykall
12-01-2021 at 11:10 PM.
12-01-2021 at 11:10 PM.
I got this exact model two years ago. It depends on what you're looking for in a guitar, but for the money, it is a great looking, great sounding and great playing Chinese made guitar.

For comparison's sake, I also own a USA Gibson Les Paul Standard Slash "Victoria" Goldtop. This one comes very close to Gibson as far as the actual tangible benefits (Sound, Playability and Looks). The Gibson will be far more collectible, and will have the "intangibles" like a nitrocellulose finish, USA pickups, far better construction, etc, but most of that doesn't affect sound quality as much. If you're a new player, save your money for a better amp. You can gig with this guitar easily.

They will come with a lot of fret buzz out the factory, so you will have to get the guitar professionally set up.

The pickups are Epiphone Burstbuckers, they are very good sounding pickups, and the open window design makes them look really unique. You also get coil split with this model, meaning you can switch from humbuckers to single coils, if you prefer to sound like a Fender Stratocaster (kind of silly on a Les Paul, but some people like it).

The black backing is piano gloss black so fine scratches will show easily.

This is one of the cheapest Les Paul Customs you can get for the money. However, they seem to always go on sale, and I don't know why, but resale value will be low because of that, and I suspect it won't be as collectible (though the original Gibson Blackback is super rare and super collectible).

The description is misleading because it talks about the 50s, which is when the Les Paul was first introduced, but the Blackback (the one this is modeled after) came out in the 70s. So it has the slim taper neck, which I prefer, but Gibsons are Plek'd at the factory so even with thicker necks, they play like a dream.

I actually play this more than the Gibson, because I'm always worried about scratching that one. With the Epi, I have less concerns, and it sounds 90% of the way there, even with the stock chinese Burstbuckers.
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Last edited by Mykall December 1, 2021 at 11:24 PM.
Joined Nov 2014
urmomlikedit
> bubble2 262 Posts
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fleabus
12-06-2021 at 04:48 PM.
12-06-2021 at 04:48 PM.
lots of comments about this epiphone. at $599 bucks, I would just say that you will never, ever get your money back out of this guitar (nowhere even close). epiphones are for sale used literally everywhere (from ebay, to reverb, to offerup, as well as among all of the major music stores that sell used gear). personally, i like and have two epiphone guitars. that said, i can't see any reason for paying this kind of money for an epiphone other than you just really enjoy lighting money on fire and throwing it out the window.
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Joined Jan 2019
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Mykall
12-07-2021 at 08:31 PM.
12-07-2021 at 08:31 PM.
Quote from fleabus :
lots of comments about this epiphone. at $599 bucks, I would just say that you will never, ever get your money back out of this guitar (nowhere even close). epiphones are for sale used literally everywhere (from ebay, to reverb, to offerup, as well as among all of the major music stores that sell used gear). personally, i like and have two epiphone guitars. that said, i can't see any reason for paying this kind of money for an epiphone other than you just really enjoy lighting money on fire and throwing it out the window.
For starters, I think this comment is well intentioned, and I agree that if your objective is to collect guitars, or buy and sell them with the goal of having them retain or appreciate their value over time, the way to go is with the originals, Gibson and Fender. Very few Epiphones will appreciate like a Gibson (though the original Epiphones like the Emperor do appreciate in value). Check this one out [reverb.com]:

That said, I also think it's a little unfair to characterize Epiphone in the light that you have. Epiphone has a storied history, just like Gibson. Les Paul, in fact, played Epiphone long before Gibson swayed him into playing Gibsons to compete against Fender (very long story, but it's a good one if you're curious and would like to look it up). It's not exactly like "Squier" for Fender, even though the Squier brand also has a reputation for quality.

The Epiphone line is complex. It ranges from budget models like the Studio, to the Standard, to the Customs and the newer Prophecy lines and their signature guitars. They aren't all $300 guitars. At the higher end of that scale, the Customs, Custom Pros, and the signature models, are known to be higher quality and some even compete with Gibson in quality, if not reputation and saleability.

This is what a Les Paul Custom Blackback (this model) sells for on Reverb used:
https://reverb.com/p/epiphone-les...ckback-pro

They may not resell the way a Gibson does, that's a given, but I also wouldn't liken it to "lighting money on fire and throwing it out the window". Not all Epiphones are created equal.

Also, not everyone is looking to make money off the guitars they purchase. Epiphones as you have noted yourself, are fine entry to mid-level instruments. Great for beginners and for working class musicians alike.

Apologies in advance, wasn't meaning to crap on your post. Just wanted to address some things that while well meaning, might be misleading to newer players.
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> bubble2 3 Posts
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LarryO8203
02-04-2023 at 11:18 PM.
02-04-2023 at 11:18 PM.
Quote from Mykall :
For starters, I think this comment is well intentioned, and I agree that if your objective is to collect guitars, or buy and sell them with the goal of having them retain or appreciate their value over time, the way to go is with the originals, Gibson and Fender. Very few Epiphones will appreciate like a Gibson (though the original Epiphones like the Emperor do appreciate in value). Check this one out [reverb.com]:

That said, I also think it's a little unfair to characterize Epiphone in the light that you have. Epiphone has a storied history, just like Gibson. Les Paul, in fact, played Epiphone long before Gibson swayed him into playing Gibsons to compete against Fender (very long story, but it's a good one if you're curious and would like to look it up). It's not exactly like "Squier" for Fender, even though the Squier brand also has a reputation for quality.

The Epiphone line is complex. It ranges from budget models like the Studio, to the Standard, to the Customs and the newer Prophecy lines and their signature guitars. They aren't all $300 guitars. At the higher end of that scale, the Customs, Custom Pros, and the signature models, are known to be higher quality and some even compete with Gibson in quality, if not reputation and saleability.

This is what a Les Paul Custom Blackback (this model) sells for on Reverb used:
https://reverb.com/p/epiphone-les...ckback-pro

They may not resell the way a Gibson does, that's a given, but I also wouldn't liken it to "lighting money on fire and throwing it out the window". Not all Epiphones are created equal.

Also, not everyone is looking to make money off the guitars they purchase. Epiphones as you have noted yourself, are fine entry to mid-level instruments. Great for beginners and for working class musicians alike.

Apologies in advance, wasn't meaning to crap on your post. Just wanted to address some things that while well meaning, might be misleading to newer players.

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