EPI Les Paul Standard LQ Series

I much prefer a lacquer finish to the poly goop, and this guitar's gold pearloid in the headstock is lovely.

If it plays well and feels good in your hands then it's certainly worth buying, imho. I wish my Epi special had a lacquer finish and the gold pearloid...
 
Well, I guess I have let the suspense build long enough!!!



I went and had a play of the Epi LP Standard LQ Series. The neck was straight, the action was low and it played very well. Intonation was spot on. The grain of the plain maple top looks beautiful up close. There were some minor indentations (buckle rash) in the finish on the rear but nothing major enough to be easily seen through photos. The neck was a '60's thinner profile and the frets were the small vintage-style like on early Fenders (think '57 re-issue).
All in all it played very well but maybe not as easily as my '90 Gibby LP. Anyway, it ended up coming home with me.
 
Thanks guys! Here are the specs from Epiphonewiki:

Les Paul Standard LQ
Epiphone LP-LQ Japan

Epiphone Les Paul LQ-Series Japan in Cherryburst
Epiphone LP-LQ Japan

Epiphone Les Paul LQ-Series Japan in Honeyburst
Epiphone LP-LQ Japan

Epiphone Les Paul LQ-Series Japan in Honeyburst
Body:
  • Non-weight relieved body
  • 2-piece mahogany body
  • 2-piece maple cap
Neck:
  • Mahogany neck
  • Rosewood fingerboard with trapezoid inlays
  • Long tenon neck joint
  • Open-book headstock with gold "Les Paul Model" silkscreen
  • 17 degree headstock angle
  • 2-screw bell truss rod cover
  • Bone nut
Binding:
  • Single-ply body & neck

Electronics:
  • PAF humbuckers
  • 2 Vol. 2 Tone controls
  • 3-way selector switch
Hardware:
  • Chrome hardware
  • Grover tuners
  • ABR-1 bridge
  • 5-ply elevated pickguard
  • Amber speed knobs
  • Grover diecast tuners
Colors:
  • Honeyburst (HB)
  • Vintage Sunburst (VS)
  • Heritage Cherry Sunburst (HC)
 
Congratulations!

In my experience, MIJ Les Pauls in general exhibit excellent build quality. The Japanese still take pride in their work and they know how to do it right. And FujiGen is widely regarded as one of the very best factories. The important thing to know about buying MIJ LPs is to look for a high end model with the long tenon neck. Like yours.

I have a number of them including an Orville and an OrvilleByGibson - when Gibson & Yamano Gakki discontinued the Orville brand in '98, they continued selling officially-sanctioned builds for the Japan domestic market under the name Epiphone without downgrading the quality at all.

Pretty guitar. IMO a little buckle rash on the back is not a bad thing - if a guitar has a ding or two already, you don't wind up freaking out over every little scratch.

Enjoy it.
 
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