Epiphone Inspired by Gibson Custom Shop Les Paul Custom

A Custom Collaboration

Wildwoodians, the Epiphone Inspired By Gibson Custom Shop Les Paul Custom you see before you is the product of a collaboration between the Gibson Custom Shop and Epiphone in an effort to bring a splash of Custom Shop panache to discerning players at an awesome value. We're pleased to say that the fruits of their collaboration are (to put it in extremely scientific terms) totally tubular! They have all sorts of eye-turning cosmetic appointments that capture the style and swagger of the Custom and upgraded parts that give it monster tone and supreme reliability (not to mention, premium maple and mahogany for tonewoods!). Let's dive a little deeper and see why this Custom collaboration is so special!

Pugnacious Pickups

First things first: the pickups in this guitar absolutely rip, and they will fill you with rock and roll joy. They're Gibson USA 490R and 498T humbuckers, which are the same pickups as its Custom Shop cousin (they come hand-wired to CTS pots and Mallory caps, too!). So, when you plug this in, it really does give your ears a Custom Shop experience! They sound warm and open, with a delectable crunch and sparkle, and they have plenty of sizzle and heat. The bridge pickup is punchy with lots of sweet glassy overtones, muscular bass response and a snarl that cuts through the mix beautifully. The neck pickup is deep chocolatey, with a broad midrange, fat lows, and singing highs. Both pickups exhibit superb clarity and articulation and have a rich overtone presence.

More important than talk of EQ curves is the feeling you get when you plug one of these guitars in. Power chords crunch beautifully, open chords ring out forever, and lead lines can slice through the mix like a ten-foot-tall red lightsaber or make Scrooge McDuck jealous with their richness depending on your mood. And, the '50s modern medium C neck feels fantastic (not too thick, not too thin--Goldilocks-approved!), so the feel and playability are as good as the tone. Simply put, playing one of these guitars is a pure and simple joy!

Styling and Profiling

Of course, no Les Paul Custom is complete without stunning, James Bond-worthy styling and this Inspired by Gibson Custom variant is no exception. It has an ebony fretboard with mother-of-pearl block inlays and an "open book" headstock with a mother-of-pearl split diamond inlay and Epiphone logo to give it a regal, elegant look that the gold hardware completes. Speaking of hardware, the tuners are Grover Rotomatics with an 18:1 ratio, which makes tuning a breeze, and the output jack and pickup selector are bulletproof Switchcraft parts.

An Elegant Menace

As you can see, the Epiphone Inspired by Gibson Custom Shop Les Paul Custom might very well represent one of the best values out there. It delivers the style and tone of one of Gibson's most iconic high-end models and distills their essence into a highly player-friendly package. We have no doubt it will bring you as much joy as it brings us!