Gear Review: Epiphone Les Paul Ultra Pro

In typical Epiphone style, the Epiphone Les Paul Ultra Pro is another cheap and cheerful Les Paul rendition for the guitarist on a budget, but now is more versatile than ever! Despite its low price, the Epiphone Les Paul is well recognized as a renowned, respectable guitar. In fact it was used by Oasis' Noel Gallagher in the 90s and has continued to be used by high-profile players in a variety of environments and music styles. Les Pauls are famously versatile, which is one of the biggest selling points, and the new Epiphone LP Ultra Pro gives even more without sacrificing an affordable price tag.

The most impressive feature you’ll notice is the two ProBucker humbucker pickups, which are built around Alnico magnets with Elektrisola magnet wire. The ProBuckers are based upon the iconic BurstBucker pickups from the Gibson Les Paul Standard, which are designed to imitate the original PAF humbuckers. All this results in the classic, rich, powerful Les Paul tone that we all know and love. But it doesn’t stop there. The pickups can be coil-tapped through the push-pull switches on both volume controls so you get a totally different weapon added to your arsenal.

I play everything from classic rock to folk and everything in between, and when you play the Epiphone Les Paul Ultra Pro you notice how amazingly adaptive it is, and it just sounds really full and clean. If I closed my eyes and played this guitar, unaware of the brand, I would honestly presume it was a top of the range Gibson Les Paul, for more than triple the price. It handled anything I could throw at it from ripping guitar solos to complicated riffs with ease. I was expecting the chambered body to have a slightly negative effect on the tone but other than making it noticeably lighter it was almost identical to a solid mahogany.

The construction of this Epi Les Paul Ultra is much more traditional but remains the quality that we've come to expect. It has a standard mahogany body, which is finished with a quilted maple top. The Mahogany neck is a treat behold with rosewood fingerboard and SlimTaper ‘D’ profile. It is then completed in typical Les Paul style with the ever-popular tune-o-matic bridge and stopbar tailpiece, and the classic Grover tuners give added stability.

I'm struggling to find any downfalls with this guitar other than the minor things that aren't really a big deal, like where it is made. the main difference between a Gibson and an Epiphone Les Paul is that Gibsons are made in America, which is a huge selling point for some reason. And lets not forget with a Gibson you're buying a badge as well. So my advice, get one of these beauties and put a sticker on it and it'll save you over a grand.

I'm a firm believer in getting the best you possibly can for your money, so if you're determined to get a Les Paul it has to be Epiphone and the Ultra Pro is probably the best you can buy. It is priced at around £500 ($599 US) and for what you’re getting it's an absolute bargain. It's a joy to play and obviously looks amazing. It's also a perfect gigging instrument as it's light, versatile and fairly cheap. It's the sort of guitar that if it was stolen or broken then you'd buy another, it's that impressive.