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Epiphone Les Paul Bass

travhop42

travhop42

Dec 21, 2010
94
24
Texas
#1
I would like to hear from some players who have (or who have had) one of these. What do you think about it, what mods have you done, etc...

I think the nut looks real cheap but everything else about this one seems rock solid. I have had it for about a month. Bought it new at The Guitar Center store down the road.

I love the pickups on this bass. They are hotter than my 2005 Fender Hwy 1 Jazz. They are also super quiet when not playing. The sound is a classis fat tone.

Thanks for your input.
 
#3
I have a Epi Limited Edition Les Paul Special bass. It actually sounds good if you like the Gibson bass sound. I also had an Epi Limited Edition Explorer bass that I sold because the LP bass sounded better. The Explorer looked cooler, though.

No mods, I play it stock. Like most Gibson style basses, it involves some neck dive.

EpiBasses.jpg
 
#4
I have never played the Ibanez but here are some things about the Les Paul:

With specials you can get one for a little over 200 dollars.

It is very heavy and tends to lean forward too much. (great if you play sitting down)

Stock strings sounded terrible. I put some Daddario roundwounds and it plays like a different bass. No buzzing or clanging sounds anymore. Also this thing never gets out of tune. LIke I said above the nut looks cheap and the bridge I hear is hard to adjust. Mine did not need any adjustment so I have not tried it yet.

The sound is more suited for rock to me. It is very deep and thumpy but not muddy. it actually sounds better on my Acoustic B200H cheap head vs my Genz Benz
Neo Pak 3.5. Funny this is the opposite for my Hwy 1 Jazz. The Acoustic has a lot thinner tone and this actually helps the Les Paul sound because it is so deep.

I have owned several Epiphones and this is the best by far to me. I know Epiphone has a reputation for bad quality so I would definitely make sure to check it carefully before buying.
 
#6
I wasn't sure LP-style basses existed before I read this thread - how wrong I was! As you can probably guess, I've never tried one, but I am the proud owner of an Epiphone EB-3 (long-scale SG-style bass). From my largely positive experience with the SG bass, I would hazard a guess that the LP is probably a pretty good instrument. The EB-3 is *very* neck heavy, but does have an immensely powerful sound, and neck which manages to be fast and sleek whilst feeling sturdy and reliable. If you have any doubts after trying the LP, see if you can get your hands on an EB-3!
 
#9
AuntieBeeb said:
I wasn't sure LP-style basses existed before I read this thread - how wrong I was! As you can probably guess, I've never tried one, but I am the proud owner of an Epiphone EB-3 (long-scale SG-style bass). From my largely positive experience with the SG bass, I would hazard a guess that the LP is probably a pretty good instrument. The EB-3 is *very* neck heavy, but does have an immensely powerful sound, and neck which manages to be fast and sleek whilst feeling sturdy and reliable. If you have any doubts after trying the LP, see if you can get your hands on an EB-3!
Click to expand...

I regretfully sold my EB-3 a few months ago. Got caught up in the had to have an American Fender fever and sold it to buy a hwy 1 jazz. The EB-3 is a nice bass, the only drawback for me was the neck dive. I really do miss that bass.
 
#12
I had one of the older Epi Les Pauls, with a bright sunburst finish. It was very well made and I wish I'd kept it. I had less luck with the EB3, as the bridge kept coming out of the body, but my Viola is a great instrument for the price and far exceeds (IMHO) the similarly priced Hofner Icon. I hear great things about the Rumblekat as well. Epiphone gets a bad rap from the snobs, but they make a very serviceable series of inexpensive instruments.
 
#13
travhop42 said:
I regretfully sold my EB-3 a few months ago. Got caught up in the had to have an American Fender fever and sold it to buy a hwy 1 jazz. The EB-3 is a nice bass, the only drawback for me was the neck dive. I really do miss that bass.
Click to expand...

You foolish boy! I do hope that Fender Jazz compensates for it in some small way. Ironically the one thing I've found from playing my EB-3 and trying someone else's Fender more recently is that, if I ever do have the money, I shall have to be very selective before shelling out for a Fender!
 
#14
i have the same trans black lp bass that everyone has pictured. i love it. been using it for 6 years. however, i would like to change the pickups. the only problem is that i do not know of any after market pickups will actually fit it. does anyone have any ideas or suggestions? id like to upgrade but also keep it passive if possible.
 
#19
well i don't know anything about the gibson reissue of the LP Jr but i can tell you the sound is pretty good, could be hotter, it reminds me of the epiphone genesis i owned back in the 80's and while i used that one in the studio a few times i asked myself later , why did i use that one?...i should have used the fender p ...i always thought the genesis on tape sounded a little muffled...also with this one i hear some fuzz at high volume and it's definitely the bass making the fuzz as i can hear it in the headphones when run thru a mixer...i believe it to be from the pickups...the only thing i really don't like about this bass is the bridge...i never liked these bridges... but i can live with it...

so far the only replacement pickups i've found are the EMGs that were designed for steinberger...not sure thats what i'm looking for but i'm sure there are others out there making humbuckers for LP bass...i'll find something, and i'll play it as is til then...
 
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