I will be keeping this guitar for life. It has definitely found a "niche" in my arsenal of axes! The quality,and value are outstanding,it looks great,and sounds even better. Get yours today- You'll be glad you did!!!!

Sound
I Love the sound of this Epiphone 56' Goldtop! It is a TONE-MACHINE! I'm not kidding-the P-90 pickups are really cool. They are extremely warm & clear for clean tones. And when you add some nice distortion-BAM! B-E-A-Utiful~! Sweet,Warm and Dirty baby! The only drawback is since P-90's are in essence a single-coli type pickup,they can be a little buzzy. However I assure you,you will quickly get over it when faced with the AWESOME tone produced by these babies! I encourage you to "play several,and buy one" of these guitars. The quality control,now that they are being made in China,is a little "hit & miss". So take a long,careful look at the models you try,then buy one,go home and make sweet love to it-yeah! The guitars themselves are a little heavy,but that computes to solid TONE! Very Playable-I've had mine since 2005,and will probably pass this baby on down to my kids.Nuff' said-try it,buy it LOVE It!!!!

Features
These Goldtop Les Pauls are solidly built.And have all the functionality of their more expensive Gibson cousins. 2 volume,and 2 tone knobs-very adjustable. A 3-way toggle switch,with which you can access a great variety of tones & sounds. The tune-o-matic bridge is solid,and makes… read more string changing easy.All-in-all a great sounding Les Paul for less than half of what I have paid for Gibsons. Thanks Epiphone! Keep up the good work.

Ease of Use
This guitar is easy to play,and has a great neck-joint. Very solid and easy to play-just what you'd expect for a Les Paul. A little heavy at times,but that can be easily remedied with a good quality Padded Strap! Aaah...your back & shoulders will thank you! Nice,fat baseball bat neck. And the grover tuners keep these babies in tune very nicely.

Quality
I own the Korean-made model of these guitars,and I am happy to say-I believe these are of a slightly higher quality overall than their Chinese counterparts. However,I have purchased a Chinese model too, and I would have kept it if I did not already have the other model. Don't let the Chinese manufacture hold you back-just make sure to check out a few different guitars of this model at your local music store,then buy the best one-You will be happy! Or,if your ordering online,just make sure to do a thorough inspection upon reciept. You owe it to yourself to get the "pick of the litter"!

Value
I think that overall,this is probably one of the best values out,for a solid body, Les Paul style guitar. I have had mine for about 3 1/2 years now,and have played gigs,practiced,and recorded lots of songs with this guitar:It has performed exemplary on all counts (thumbs way UP!!!)

Manufacturer Support
I have enjoyed the support from Gibson/Epiphone. And have had to call them twice,the first time for a set-up,and the second to order a part (post-warranty). They did a good job both times. And I am pleased to give them a recomendation.

The Wow Factor
This guitar is Beautiful! It caught my eye at the local music store when I came in to look at some Epiphone Les Pauls. Something about the gold finish was very enticing. The cream pick guard and toggle switch go together very well with the chrome hardware. Like I say about my wife: "She's a looker!". Oh yeah,and her back side is sweet too....the uh' guitar I mean-It's mahagony!

Musical Background:
Active Musician, Song Writer

Musical Style:
Christian Rock,Praise & Worship. read less