On my 3 pup LPs I have usually played with the middle pup vol at zero most of the time. Splitting/tapping a coil on a 2 pup LP actually gives more variety than adding one more humbucker. I think the middle pup looks killer, but it adds very little tonally. FWIW, I've also installed middle humbuckers on both an Epi LP and a Gibson Studio LP. Now, whether you put that down to the construction, pickups – whatever – it’s a viable and attractive voice.I've owned 8-9 Epis in the last 10 years, including a Black Beauty. What we’re hearing is a slightly smoother and rounded nose to the note attack and a little more midrange push. With a cranked Marshall, this lowly Custom holds its own when compared to a Gibson Les Paul Classic with Burstbuckers I and II, and our modded and stripped Tokai with Cream T Bangers – less scooped with less high-end sizzle with the controls maxed out.
EPIPHONE LES PAUL BLACK BEAUTY FULL
Pull the volume and tone back and clean up your amp and there’s plummy jazz pull the tone back up and it’s a slightly rounded voice that loves a little more crunch then wind it back up to full for your moodier blues and rock leads.Īs is, the third pickup doesn’t bring anything more to the table than a dual-pickup version, but there is quite a particular character to the voicing here. The neck pickup alone might be the sole reason to buy this affordable ’Paul. With its period-style neck and good weight it not only feels substantial but sounds it, too That said, the volume does soften the attack as it’s reduced perhaps a little too much, and we’d be tempted to consider a treble bleed, certainly for those more diverse function-style gigs. It’s actually quite a good balance of depth, clarity and power, perfect for classic blues/rock styles without sounding over-thick or one dimensional. Instead, what we have is a frankly more Fender-y mix, if a little thicker, with an almost cocked-wah-like honk that, along with the bridge pickup, gives a relatively bright voicing to what many would consider a ‘dark’-sounding Les Paul. The downside is that the classic bridge and neck mix position of a two-pickup Les Paul – where you can subtly shape so many benchmark sounds – isn’t here. You can’t voice it on its own, just in tandem with the bridge pickup when the toggle selector switch is in middle position. It’s a muscular-feeling, weighty guitar, but even before you plug in there’s a really inviting smooth yet vibrant response.įirstly, this is a different-sounding Les Paul thanks to that middle pickup. The fret gauge is pretty regular medium jumbo (approximately 2.69mm wide by 1.1mm high), and the frets themselves sit tidily over the edge binding, although they could do with just a little more smoothing if we’re being picky, as there’s a slightly scratchy feel on bends.Īs supplied, setup is pretty mainstream, but is 1.5mm on the treble side at the 12th fret and edging 2mm on the bass side. That full, rounded feel in the lower positions just gets bigger, touching 26mm as the 12th fret area flows into the neck heel.
EPIPHONE LES PAUL BLACK BEAUTY PRO
This beast has a depth of 23.1mm at the 1st fret – which, to put into perspective, is the depth at the 12th fret of the Fender American Pro IIs on review elsewhere in this issue. If you like your necks big with a rounded profile, you’ll be right at home here. (Image credit: Future / Neil Godwin) Feel & Sounds