Epiphone Limited Edition Matt Heafy Les Paul Custom-7 Electric Guitar, 7-String
This 7-string beast boasts active EMG-707 and 81-7 pickups and a blacked-out ebony gloss finish to help you get in touch with your dark side.
Overall User Ratings (based on 7 ratings)
Submitted December 28, 2017 by Cesar T in Houston, TX
"UPDATE - TL;DR - If you want a 7 string, LOVE Les Pauls and play ALL styles of rock/metal... BUY IT, It won't disappoint"
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As someone in need of a 7 string and hesitant to drop anything 600 dollars for it, It too me a lot of thinking before making this purchase. The decision to buy this is one I do not regret. I've only had it for a week so i'll leave any external factors aside, like durability, since I really can't comment on it. Another thing that just comes to mind at the moment are the string that it comes with, since most people have their preference and are probably gonna swap them out ASAP.. I'm sure there's things i'll miss but this is just an initial impression. Background on myself, which is helping make these opinions(keep that in mind) is that i've played in metal and am currently in an Alternative band that dips into soft as well as heavier(hence me using a 7 string) sounds. Overall, I got exactly what I wanted from guitar and will enjoy playing this for a very long time. If anything changes, I hope I can update this thing to let everyone know.
UPDATE- About a year later.. this guitar is Insanely awesome. I've thought about getting a nother guitar for the sake of diversity while gigging but I ended up splurging in a good acoustic simply because this guitar is that good. From the build quality to the sound.. to even the straplocks.
I love this guitar, it goes with me everywhere and has NOT let me down. The tuners are still a little EH but have yet to make me think any less of this guitar.
Try before you buy. Like I said, you won't find another guitar like this out there.
Sound
EMGs ---- This is obviously personal preference too. If you are a tone snob and believe and swear the dynamics are lacking on active pickups, you may want to change them out. Fortunately for you, if you are really considering buying this, this is something you can always change to your liking. I, for one, am starting to like the sound. I upgraded passive seymour duncans on my SG and love them but these EMGs are just as dynamic IMO and really respond to my picking just as well. The output is great for me too. -The body - Despite it having EMGs, I can feel the warmer sound as compared to my SG and even the Ibanez RG 7321 I was using. But maybe that's just me. -The volume and switches --- Offer a HUGE range in sound. the 707 on the neck gives it that warmer tone you'd expect from a guitar, and the 81-7 at the bridge gives it all that gain your heart has ever wanted.
Features
Out of the box it comes with -EMGs -Killswitch(already incredibly useful and the band members actually like adding that to music) -Glued in neck(which gives the impression of a neckthru but isn't) -An "Axcess" heel (which caves in a huge chunk of the back of body behind the higher frets making it ridiculously easy to reach them. The lower string in the 18+ frets may be a problem if you have little fingers but I don't know why you'd use those frets there tbh) -Epiphone brand straplocks (which is always a plus and so far, they've gotten the job done.) -A CoA which isn't really necessary but it's there and is initialed by Matt himself and the Epiphone president signature looks fake lol but idk)
Ease of Use
Ease of use: - Lol it's a guitar. I mean, I guess the weight could play a factor for some, but i'm not a body builder and I have 0 complainss about that. Neck is smooth as butter access heel does definitely help out in the higher frets.
Quality
The paint on it is incredible. Having never played but only seen a Gibson Les Paul Custom, I can say this paint looks just like it. The finish on it up close is GREAT and the binding just wraps it up giving a classy as hell look. -The straplocks, like I said, so far a great and get the job done. -The ebony fretboard is pretty, inlays look like a Les Paul custom's, and it plays just like any Gibson Les Paul i've played. Plays a little better than my Gibson SG but I attribute that to the LP being Ebony and not Rosewood and it being a lot thinner than it too. -The Tuners are where it kinda goes eh for me. They are a little loose and aren't as precise as I would like. They do the job very well but tuning isn't as fast as an experience as I would so that'll probably be the only thing I change (Except for the straplocks if they decide to not be so great) but this is all personal preference too. If you play at home, this doesn't matter at all. If you play on stage, you may wanna swap them out. So for this one thing, I deduct a half a star lol. It has been done... -Tune-O-Matic bridge --- This was another factor that led to my decision. My SG has it and i'm just really used to it right now. This is personal preference though. I know many hate it. I love it.
Value
Easily the most subjective out of the entire rating system. That's totally up to you. 800 bucks(at the time of my purchase) isn't a little but also isn't a ton of money for a guitar. It's an investment and if you're not ready to spend that much money then you really shouldn't. This guitar will always wait for you. Get your finances in order. One thing to consider is their payment plans. Just know that once you start it, there's no going back which is why I say to get your finances in order. If you're like me, this is gonna be your go-to guitar and a daily driver. So it's worth it as an investment for me because I will use it to play live on a weekly basis and to practice at home. But for me, for the price, I would recommend it to anyone considering all that you're getting.
UPDATE - Price went up 150 since I bought it BUT if you're looking for a guitar of this style then you won't find a better guitar under 1k.. period. By style I mean, Les paul 7 string. And considering
Manufacturer Support
Another thing is manufacturer support, I have had a Gibson SG for about 14 years now and haven't had any problems with, and I just got my Epiphone - SO, I have no idea how good or bad their support is. Which is a great thing considering the quality is so good I don't even have to deal with them. Everyone's experience will vary though since these are things and things break so for this i'll give it 4 stars since I have no idea, and have heard bad things.
UPDATE- about a year after purchase, this guitar is still running strong. After my initial setup, that took me a whole 5 minutes right out of the box... the guitar is still GREAT after moving it around gig to gig to practice to gig. Indoor and outdoor. Hot and cold weather... and this is all with a gig bag... Need to get a hardshell case. asap for longevity.
The Wow Factor
Already got a few compliments from total strangers who saw us play live and didn't know I had just gotten it. So yeah, it's pretty. So I'll stop now because this is really long and i'm the kind of person that wishes every product had a review that was super detailed because I know spending a lot of money isn't always easy, and this helps people make the decision to or not to buy a product
Musical Background:
Guitar, violin player - In a band
Musical Style:
Hard Rock, Metal(Thrash, MeloDeath, Metalcore, Progressive, etc.), Alternative, Blues, Pop/Rock. I love it all.
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Submitted February 8, 2017 by Larry W in happy valley, OR
"Amazing Guitar-"
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I've been playing close to 20 years, and this is by far one of the best guitars I've ever owned.
The mahogany body paired with the EMG's gives you a monstrous tone, and it's super easy to play. The neck has got some beef to it, but not enough to slow you down. I personally like a little bit of meat on the neck- it feels like I have more to grab onto for bends and heavy muting.
You can play leads on this just fine- the large frets and shorter (for a seven string) neck make everything very easy to get to, and the killswitch is a nice touch. -Where this thing really shines though is in heavy rhythm playing. It's a fairly heavy guitar, but the tone from the wood combined with the EMG's makes this thing sound THICK as hell, especially in drop tunings.
If your concerned about the scale length, I can tell you I tune to drop G# with this, and I have zero issues whatsoever with the string tension. I use a 62 on the bottom string, and it stays in tune just fine.
The build quality is extremely solid, I had no issues with the fretwork, paint job, or anything else. It was basically ready to play right out of the box.
The signed certificate from Matt was a nice bonus too- he actually signs each one.
You can tell that Matt was personally involved with this one, because it's the guitar he actually plays on stage, and it's got the feel of a quality, crafted instrument.
I'm extremely happy with my purchase, and if your looking for a great 7 for hard rock and metal, you can't really go wrong with this one IMO.
Musical Background:
20 years, Guitar, bass, professionally
Musical Style:
Metal, technical metal
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Submitted January 22, 2016 by Chris Cote in Waterbury, CT
"Awesome isntrument"
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Having this now over a year, I can say I love it. Neck is great to play on. Feels like a good Les Paul should. Natural tone with the ebony board is great. Frets were decent out of the box. EMG pickups aren't my favorite but lets face it, for LOW tuning they work. I did opt for heavier strings (I'm running 10-64) and with that it did need a setup. The access heel alone makes it worth the investment. After playing Les Pauls for 35 years and wanting a 7 string this was the answer.
Musical Background:
35+ year performer. Teacher, composer, and side man for hire. Guitar, bass, percussion, brass, woodwinds and strings
Musical Style:
Mostly a blues and jazz player, though I dog playing classical and metal as much as being in a power trio
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Submitted April 1, 2017 by Jerry G in Las Cruces, NM
"pleasantly surprised"
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To be honest, I bought this guitar on an impulse. I was pleasantly surprised with the quality of the guitar, sound, and playability. It looks great, feels good, and has great balance to it. The shorter neck provides good string tension, which also surprised me for being a 7 string with a shorter scale neck length. Then EMG pickups sound great. The factory set up was pretty awful, but once I gave it some TLC it has become one of the most comfortable guitars I've owned. One downside is the tuning machine heads. They're not the worst, but I'll definitely be upgrading them. Other than that, solid instrument with great specs, especially for the price!
Musical Background:
13 years of guitar
Musical Style:
metal, hardcore, thrash, deathmetal, rock.
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Submitted October 20, 2015 by Matt Adams in Temple, TX
"What am I missing?"
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Mahogany neck, mahogany body, EMG pickups, 7 strings, neck joint like the Les Paul Access? Kill switch (who needs it, right? Still COOL) I love this guitar and I don't even mind putting it next to my Gibsons. Plays great! I love the inlay fret markers and ebony fretboard. Only thing I'm not crazy about is the tuners: They seem a little iffy and not very mechanically precise so those will go first. I also plan on switching out all the black hardware. Just my preference, thus changing it to the Matt Adams Custom-7. I like the EMGs. They sound great
Musical Background:
Bedroom guitar player trying to break out like everyone else. Relentless pursuit of learning.
Musical Style:
Rock, Heavy Metal, Prog Rock, Classic Rock, Country, Pop
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Submitted January 19, 2015 by Travis Simon in Reedsburg, WI
"MKH 7 Epiphone Les Paul Custom"
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Guitar plays great and is stunning. Its comfortable, looks good. It a classic and I love it. u can do anything with this guitar.
Musical Background:
I have been playing guitar for 12 years have been playing 7 string for 4 years.
Musical Style:
I play everything, classic rock, metal, thrash, nu metal, country, funk, blues pretty much everything.
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Submitted October 30, 2013 by Scott B in Battle Creek, MI
"NIce guitar"
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Good clean and heavy sounds good for any music.
Musical Background:
30 years playin music guitar and bass. pro and jam at home
Musical Style:
Rock, blues, top 40
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