Epiphone 1961 Les Paul SG Standard

W
e sometimes fi nd
ourselves pondering
how much
a headstock matters.
Specifi cally, the
name on a headstock. And we’re
musing on that theme again
because Epiphone has been
gleefully blurring the lines
between its brand and Gibson
more than ever recently; the
Lazarus and Standard ’59 Les Paul
moderns being very impressive
cases in point. Gibson USA
BurstBucker humbuckers,
one-piece mahogany neck,
two-piece body, Mallory capacitors
and a vintage-style hard case are
the order of the day here on
a ‘partnership with Gibson
Custom’ that really just equates
to those aforementioned Gibson
features on an Epiphone. With
a higher asking price accordingly.
But still not a ballpark we can get
a new US Gibson SG for. So what’s
the deal with the Les Paul name
appearing here too?
Gibson fi rst introduced its Solid
Guitar in 1961 with a ‘Les Paul’
moniker in an attempt to widen
appeal after declining LP sales. Les
Paul the man was not happy with
his name on this very diff erent
design and by the end of 1963 the
LP references had been removed.
Now they’re back in reissue form
– on the truss rod cover, at least.
The fretboard here is laurel, not
rosewood, so it’s not upgrades
across the, um, board here. So do
the spec upgrades on this guitar
justify an extra £350 street price
over an Epi SG Standard? First
impressions are mostly very
positive; it’s light (6.6lbs) and
has some neck droop on the strap
that’s not uncommon with SGs. The
SG is one of the most comfortable
guitars to stand with and this is
a fi ne example – a veritable
feather compared to a Les Paul!
The unplugged resonance we
crave is here too, and a tidy build
with a sleek Aged Sixties Cherry
Gloss (what we’d call a semi-satin)
fi nish that oozes quality. There’s
just has one strange anomaly that
we haven’t encountered before on
an SG. The bevel contour on the back
edge stops before it reaches the
curve of the lower horn. It’s a subtle
cosmetic feature but strange,
especially when the Custom
Shop name is appearing here.
The SlimTaper 60s neck is on the
wider end of C-shape scale but
nowhere near as divisively clubby as
our 2005 Gibson SG Special.
The playing touch sensitivity and
articulation of the BurstBuckers is
a great example of contemporary
channeling of PAF versatility, with
responsive pots that really get the
best out of that. Clean up from
the guitar and you’ll have serious
breadth. We found ourselves in
the neck position far more than on
many of the cheaper Gibson-style
guitars we’ve played in the last year.
Sometimes you get what you pay
for. So that question remains for
you, does the name on the
headstock matter to you?
Rob Laing
A TIDY BUILD WITH A GLOSS
FINISH THAT OOZES QUALITY
EPIPHONE 1961
LES PAUL SG STANDARD
A Gibson in all but name?
1
2
3
AT A GLANCE
FEATURES
SOUND QUALITY
VALUE FOR MONEY
BUILD QUALITY
PLAYABILITY
OVERALL RATING
SUMMARY
Photography Olly Curtis
1
WIRING
No upgrades
required here
– CTS pots, Mallory
capacitors (an
upgrade over Orange
Drop) and Switchcraft
jacks are the quality
combo we like to see.
2
NECK
Most Epiphones
use a two-piece neck
with a scarf joint, but
this has a historically-
accurate one-piece.
3
VALUE
The BurstBucker
2 and 3 humbuckers
sell on Gibson.com for
$175.99 each, add in
that plush hardcase
and the street price
checks out.
BODY: Mahogany
(two-piece)
NECK: Mahogany
(one-piece), SlimTaper
C-shape
SCALE: 628mm
[24.75”]
FINGERBOARD:
Indian laurel
FRETS: 22,
medium jumbo
PICKUPS: Gibson
BurstBucker 3 (bridge),
Gibson BurstBucker
2 (neck)
CONT ROLS: 2x Volume,
2x Tone, CTS
potentiometers,
Mallory Capacitors
HARDWARE: Epiphone
LockTone Tune-O-
Matic, Epiphone Deluxe
double ring tuners
LEFT-HANDED: No
CASE: Gibson
vintage-style
hard case
FINISH: Aged Cherry
(reviewed), Aged
Classic White
CONTACT: Epiphone,
www.epiphone.com
£749
MARCH 2022 TOTAL GUITAR
REVIEW
91
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