# Epiphone Les Paul SL



## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

Epiphone Les Paul SL™ Electric Guitar

Single coils on a slab body. VERY inexpensive.


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## Budda (May 29, 2007)

At first glance I dont hate it (looking at yt screenshot).


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## davetcan (Feb 27, 2006)

Well that certainly sounds great. If it has a decent neck it's a winner.


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## greco (Jul 15, 2007)

I like this finish and the look in general...


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

For me, the appealing feature is the pick-guard. Not the look of the pick-guard, but rather the fact that it can cover up so many different mods, and the holes required for them. After all, at $100, roughly, it makes a great platform for experimentation. I'm curious about how much _existing_ empty space there is under that pickguard. Just imagine what you could do by installing a low-profile gold-foil-type PU in between the two existing ones, and adding some switching circuitry. Alternatively, one can buy inexpensive dual-rails-type PUs from Guitar Fetish or other places, and install them to replace the stock PUs. Or, if you like the tone of the stock PUs, but they tend to attract hum, there would be plenty of space under that pickguard for a dummy coil.


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## davetcan (Feb 27, 2006)

Don't see them for sale in Canada anywhere.


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## sulphur (Jun 2, 2011)

There's this....

Epiphone Les Paul SL Electric Guitar VINTAGE SUNBURST | L.A. Music - Canada's Favourite Music Store!


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## SaucyJack (Mar 8, 2017)

Interesting creature.


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## boourns (Jan 17, 2017)

mhammer said:


> For me, the appealing feature is the pick-guard. Not the look of the pick-guard, but rather the fact that it can cover up so many different mods, and the holes required for them. After all, at $100, roughly, it makes a great platform for experimentation. I'm curious about how much _existing_ empty space there is under that pickguard. Just imagine what you could do by installing a low-profile gold-foil-type PU in between the two existing ones, and adding some switching circuitry. Alternatively, one can buy inexpensive dual-rails-type PUs from Guitar Fetish or other places, and install them to replace the stock PUs. Or, if you like the tone of the stock PUs, but they tend to attract hum, there would be plenty of space under that pickguard for a dummy coil.


In Canada it's gonna be $169 plus tax, so in Ontario about $190


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

In some respects, it is similar to the old double-cutaway Melody Maker, which also had single-coils. HOWEVER, the PUs on the old Melody Makers had alnico bar magnets in them, rather than ceramic magnets..


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## BGood (Feb 20, 2015)

mhammer said:


> For me, the appealing feature is the pick-guard. Not the look of the pick-guard, but rather the fact that it can cover up so many different mods, and the holes required for them. After all, at $100, roughly, it makes a great platform for experimentation. I'm curious about how much _existing_ empty space there is under that pickguard. Just imagine what you could do by installing a low-profile gold-foil-type PU in between the two existing ones, and adding some switching circuitry. Alternatively, one can buy inexpensive dual-rails-type PUs from Guitar Fetish or other places, and install them to replace the stock PUs. Or, if you like the tone of the stock PUs, but they tend to attract hum, there would be plenty of space under that pickguard for a dummy coil.


Or ... you could leave it as is


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## Ronbeast (Nov 11, 2008)

They're available for preorder through L&M, I inquired about them last week. I don't know when they'll be available, but total cost is $169 and you can preorder for $50 down.


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

BGood said:


> Or ... you could leave it as is


But where's the fun in_ that_?


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## BGood (Feb 20, 2015)

mhammer said:


> But where's the fun in_ that_?


Playing it ?


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## Budda (May 29, 2007)

BGood said:


> Playing it ?


But you can do that after the mods


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## Lord-Humongous (Jun 5, 2014)

Looks really neat. I feel like buying one just because.


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## BGood (Feb 20, 2015)

Budda said:


> But you can do that after the mods


That too, but you could have played it all that time it was getting modded.


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## BGood (Feb 20, 2015)

Lord-Humongous said:


> Looks really neat. I feel like buying one just because.


Before long, they'll be $50 on the used market. I'll wait for that.


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## Roryfan (Apr 19, 2010)

sulphur said:


> There's this....
> 
> Epiphone Les Paul SL Electric Guitar VINTAGE SUNBURST | L.A. Music - Canada's Favourite Music Store!





Ronbeast said:


> They're available for preorder through L&M, I inquired about them last week. I don't know when they'll be available, but total cost is $169 and you can preorder for $50 down.


If I was in the market & was unable to have one in my hands before buying I would be more inclined to order from L&M.

Looks like a cool modding platform. At that price point I'm guessing tuners, pots & bridge will also need to be done, so definitely wait for a used one, assuming the frets aren't ruined. Not being a cork sniffer, but a guitar built to that price point is going to have lots of corners cut. I once met a guy who was into low end Squiers (Affinity & such) and he burned through necks like crazy due to super soft frets. It wasn't worth doing a refret on a guitar that costs half as much.


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## Roryfan (Apr 19, 2010)

mhammer said:


> In some respects, it is similar to the old double-cutaway Melody Maker, which also had single-coils. HOWEVER, the PUs on the old Melody Makers had alnico bar magnets in them, rather than ceramic magnets..


Swapping the bar magnets for AlNiCo would be an interesting first mod. Beyond a beginner, I see this as a good guitar to learn luthierism on.


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

Nt simply a matter of swapping magnets. The Melody-Maker pickups had a vertically-oriented bar magnet, and the coil wrapped around it on a very fragile bobbin, with the poles going edge to edge on the bar; essentially a "single rail". I used to have one. These PUs on the SL would seem to be steel slugs sitting atop a ceramic bar magnet, oriented top to bottom, like older Japanese pickups in Guyatone, Teisco, and Norma guitars. That doesn't make them "bad", just not candidates for a simple magnet swap.

The Epiphone site says they have mahogany necks, and that appeals to me a lot. I like the way one can feel amplifier "push" through a mahogany neck. I find it helps with finger vibrato.


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## EchoWD40 (Mar 16, 2007)

The last thing we need is more pieces of junk getting rid of more and more natural resources.


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## BGood (Feb 20, 2015)

TDeneka said:


> The last thing we need is more pieces of junk getting rid of more and more natural resources.


Jeez ... there's a zillion junk products being made every second, that gets trashed after a few minutes of use. This is not one of them.


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## Steadfastly (Nov 14, 2008)

I don't think it is much of a guitar but for someone starting out, it may be something to buy to decide if they are going anywhere with guitar. Thank goodness there are other colours than that blue thing.


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## Roryfan (Apr 19, 2010)

If a magnet swap is not an option it might be cool to drop some decent Strat pups in there. In theory you could get an interesting mix of Fender & Gibson tones by combining the snap of a wraptail & single coils with the warmth of a shorter scale length & mahogany. Perhaps into Mustang territory, but better. And when the frets wear out it would be cool for slide.


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## Budda (May 29, 2007)

TDeneka said:


> The last thing we need is more pieces of junk getting rid of more and more natural resources.


Be more concerned with needless plastic for consumer goods than guitars then?


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## zontar (Oct 25, 2007)

Steadfastly said:


> I don't think it is much of a guitar but for someone starting out, it may be something to buy to decide if they are going anywhere with guitar. Thank goodness there are other colours than that blue thing.


I like that blue thing--but I also like the sunburst options.

We did discuss this before--but now that there is more info it makes sense to take a closer look.
I doubt I would buy one--but it could find a niche...
...or not.


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## EchoWD40 (Mar 16, 2007)

Budda said:


> Be more concerned with needless plastic for consumer goods than guitars then?


You've made an assumption that I am not. I have not purchased a new phone in 5 years as an example, and I haven't shopped at wal mart in over a decade.


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## Budda (May 29, 2007)

TDeneka said:


> You've made an assumption that I am not. I have not purchased a new phone in 5 years as an example, and I haven't shopped at wal mart in over a decade.


I didn't make that assumption, I said you can be more concerned. Not supporting Wal Mart is a good start, but I am sure that you (like the rest of us) buy a lot of stuff that comes in plastic wrap that immediately gets thrown out. As you start to reduce that intake, the next step is helping family and friends reduce their plastic consumption, writing to companies regarding their packaging processes asking them to move to recyclable materials, getting others to write those same emails/tweets, volunteering with garbage cleanup in your community, using social media to spread awareness of the plastic problem the global community faces, etcetera.

I have no idea how much of that you're already doing. I greatly commend you for being aware of the issue and making any changes towards improving it. I don't think a new guitar by Epiphone is having the incredible environmental impact you suggest, but I'd be happy to read the stats that prove me wrong.


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## Fretman67 (Oct 15, 2017)

One of the main selling points, if not the biggest, is the price. Epiphone is pushing the marketing as a Les Paul for 99 USD. How can you go wrong with that? Well in Canada, with the exchange rate today, this works out to $125 CAD which is still desirable. However, Amazon Canada will start selling this guitar at $179 and apparently on previous posts, LMQ will sell for $169. All of a sudden, this guitar is not so desirable anymore at this price range. Where are the additional costs coming from? I would get this guitar just as a modder but only if selling price is in the $135 range.

Does anyone else here feel the same?


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## Ronbeast (Nov 11, 2008)

Fretman67 said:


> One of the main selling points, if not the biggest, is the price. Epiphone is pushing the marketing as a Les Paul for 99 USD. How can you go wrong with that? Well in Canada, with the exchange rate today, this works out to $125 CAD which is still desirable. However, Amazon Canada will start selling this guitar at $179 and apparently on previous posts, LMQ will sell for $169. All of a sudden, this guitar is not so desirable anymore at this price range. Where are the additional costs coming from? I would get this guitar just as a modder but only if selling price is in the $135 range.
> 
> Does anyone else here feel the same?


I was excited about these guitars when they were first announced, but the price kind of killed it for me. $169 plus the taxes would put the guitar in the $200 range. At that price point you can score an epi g400 or other comparable guitar that is actually an amazing instrument right from the start. $135 would be the perfect price point, but the price discrepancy between Canada and the US has one again killed any bargain that this guitar was.


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## Steadfastly (Nov 14, 2008)

Fretman67 said:


> One of the main selling points, if not the biggest, is the price. Epiphone is pushing the marketing as a Les Paul for 99 USD. How can you go wrong with that? Well in Canada, with the exchange rate today, this works out to $125 CAD which is still desirable. However, Amazon Canada will start selling this guitar at $179 and apparently on previous posts, LMQ will sell for $169. All of a sudden, this guitar is not so desirable anymore at this price range. Where are the additional costs coming from? I would get this guitar just as a modder but only if selling price is in the $135 range.
> 
> Does anyone else here feel the same?


For me, there are much more desirable guitars to modify. That just looks so cheap to begin with, I would never be happy with it.


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## Fretman67 (Oct 15, 2017)

Ronbeast said:


> I was excited about these guitars when they were first announced, but the price kind of killed it for me. $169 plus the taxes would put the guitar in the $200 range. At that price point you can score an epi g400 or other comparable guitar that is actually an amazing instrument right from the start. $135 would be the perfect price point, but the price discrepancy between Canada and the US has one again killed any bargain that this guitar was.





Steadfastly said:


> For me, there are much more desirable guitars to modify. That just looks so cheap to begin with, I would never be happy with it.


Yup, taxes in at around $150 would be doable for me but not at the $200 mark. I like the looks of this guitar never having owned a Les Paul. The turquoise color looks nice.


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## Fretman67 (Oct 15, 2017)

Found a shop in Canada selling this for $139. Free shipping and taxes in comes under $150. Anyone hear of Quest Musique in Winnipeg? Never heard of them so not sure about their service. Emailed them to see if they have any in stock but have not heard back yet. Will keep everyone informed if anyone is interested.


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## troyhead (May 23, 2014)

Fretman67 said:


> Anyone hear of Quest Musique in Winnipeg


Yup, bought from them a few times. Great service. You can call and order too, if there is something specific you want that is not on their website.

One thing to note, it was mentioned in another thread that the neck is bolted to the body with a neck plate, unlike the promo pictures Quest shows on their website. So it may or may not be exactly as shown in the photos.


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## Fretman67 (Oct 15, 2017)

Thanks for the heads up Troyhead. They got back to me. Looks like these guitars are selling quickly so they do have them in stock. Their next shipment arrives mid-November after they sell out. It looks like Quest Musique is using the same photos from the Epiphone site. Looking at some unboxing videos, the neck is a bolt-on with a metal plate. The Epiphone site shows only 4 screws but no neck plate.


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## vokey design (Oct 24, 2006)

BGood said:


> Before long, they'll be $50 on the used market. I'll wait for that.


Unless Mr Walsh starts paying $500 for used ones, driving the value up.


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## Fretman67 (Oct 15, 2017)

Decided to go for it. Was a bit higher than $99 USD but with free shipping and only 5% sales tax instead of 13% the price was still good. I'll post some thoughts on the guitar out of the box if anyone's interested.


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## BGood (Feb 20, 2015)

Fretman67 said:


> I'll post some thoughts on the guitar out of the box if anyone's interested.


For sure.


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## Fretman67 (Oct 15, 2017)

OK...received the guitar today. Got the turquoise color and it looks real nice. For some reason, the turquoise model on the internet and youtube almost looks like the blue but in person, it is definitely turquoise...very nice color. The guitar came tuned...or as close to tuned as possible. The action is high but there is plenty of space on the stop piece to adjust for this. Fit and finish is very good. Paint job is smooth....no dents or visible scratches from what I can see. Knobs and switches work fine. All in all, a very nice guitar for the price. Guitar is super light compared to my other guitars. Even my mini squier is heavier. Fretwork is good...no sharp edges. Neck is straight. There were 2 layers of plastic on the pickguard...not sure what happened there. Can't think of anything else to say. If anyone wants more info, let me know.


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## bzrkrage (Mar 20, 2011)

Fretman67 said:


> OK...received the guitar today........ Can’t think of anything else to say. If anyone wants more info, let me know.


Pics! Pics baby, pictures!!!!



Sent from my Other OTHER brain


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## Fretman67 (Oct 15, 2017)

bzrkrage said:


> Pics! Pics baby, pictures!!!!



I took some pics but will have to figure out how to post them here.


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## Budda (May 29, 2007)

Fretman67 said:


> Found a shop in Canada selling this for $139. .


L&m has them for $139.


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## Fretman67 (Oct 15, 2017)

Budda said:


> L&m has them for $139.


Good info for anyone else interested. Earlier posts said that L&M was selling for $169 so they probably dropped the price...however, not on their website yet.


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## Fuzzy dagger (Jun 3, 2016)

Wish this was available when I started in the 70's. Damn.


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## Fuzzy dagger (Jun 3, 2016)

Different world.


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## sambonee (Dec 20, 2007)

Tried one at LM. vg value. Super wide neck. High cool factor. 

I arrest my case. 



As you were.


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## Fretman67 (Oct 15, 2017)

Unfortunately will not be able to post pics as I have no idea how to do it. Looks like I would have to “host” the pics first and then link to the URL? Anyways, the guitar looks great. And in fact the pics do look bluish compared to its' true color tone. Finally did a setup by lowering the action and setting the intonation. Also made a slight truss rod adjustment to flatten the neck out a bit. All in all, cannot find any faults for the price paid.


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## eryl byrd (Feb 16, 2018)

Budda said:


> At first glance I dont hate it (looking at yt screenshot).


gonna play it or look at it..lol


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## Budda (May 29, 2007)

eryl byrd said:


> gonna play it or look at it..lol


You joined to say that?


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## greco (Jul 15, 2007)

eryl byrd said:


> gonna play it or look at it..lol


Personally...neither.%h(*&


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## amagras (Apr 22, 2015)

Mine brought me bad luck so I am donating it. I guess I've had my fair share of cheap sidebrand with my Squier so I'll stick to my original desire to one day have an original Gibson SG


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## zontar (Oct 25, 2007)

I saw one at L&M & had to try it...
Not bad actually
Not the best--but far from the worst & for about $135?
Pretty good deal if you are looking for something cheap for some reason.


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