player opinions

Epiphone LP-100

Epiphone LP-100

  1. Name: Colin Lounsberry

  2. Band: Of One Accord

  3. Model Year: 90's

  4. Price Paid: $258

  5. Performance

  6. Actually, I was quite impressed with this bolt on neck, double humbucker guitar. I had sold a very nice Ibanez set neck, double cutaway, double humbucker (DiMarzio) guitar to finance the LP100. At first, I thought I had lost out in the deal-the initial quality of the LP100 seemed deficient. It was nowhere near the quality of the Ibanez in every aspect of workmanship and construction. It was more of a metal style guitar, using an overdriven Marshall and the bridge pickup. But after using the neck pickup and a tube Peavey, the LP100 really started to shine as a blues guitar.

  7. Performance Rating: 6

  8. Sound Quality

  9. The LP100 can thrash and bash, but it can also sustain enough for any power chord, Classic Rock ballad. I love the nice, cutting blues sound from the neck pickup.

  10. Sound Quality Rating: 8

  11. Construction

  12. The LP100 was really a step below any guitar I had at the time except a Squire Telecaster, and a Epiphone Strat type. I have played the recent LP100's and they are quite a bit better in construction.

  13. Construction Rating: 4

  1. Name: Kelly Townsend

  2. Band: Pale Ryder (Sound\Light Assistant)

  3. Model Year: -----

  4. Price Paid: $450 (used)

  5. Performance

  6. Set up at factory was OK. Action a little high, but not bad. I have had this guitar professionally set-up by 2 different techs in 2 different sound shops. EVERYTHING with this guitar is a compromise!!! For low action, you have Fret buzz. To get rid of the buzz, the strings are so high off the fretboard, the action is horrible. For high volume, the pickups have to be raised tremendously, but then distort. For clean, warm tones,you have to sink the pickups, and then have no volume. Low E and G WILL NOT stay in tune at all. (If you buy this guitar, buy a tuner at the same time, because you will use it often!) Intonation is also poor. ALWAYS tends to go sharp at the 12th fret, on ANY string above G. Pot knobs tend to be noisy, and my 3-way toggle switch has already gone out, and had to be replaced.

  7. Performance Rating: 4

  8. Sound Quality

  9. The neck pickup is EXTREMELY weak, and the bridge pickup is overpowering. Requires lots of tinkering with volume and tone knobs to switch back & forth w/o a huge tone\volume change. Use 10 Watt Johnson practice Amp, and 200 Watt Pioneer Amp and straight thru Peavey mixing board & fronts for jamming. Have used Boss DS-1, TS-9 Tube Screamer, and Dunlop Crybaby. With any combination the distortion is just too crunchy for my taste. Can not get a warm, clean sound from it. Fret Buzz is TERRIBLE on low E, and noticeable on all other strings.

  10. Sound Quality Rating: 4

  11. Construction

  12. Overall construction of the guitar is remarkable for it's price range. I love the quality of construction, and pretty much hate everything else about it. I would ABSOLUTELY NOT gig with this model as it comes from the factory. I “might”? use it as a backup ONLY. As stated earlier, the Finish & construction is remarkable for it's price range. It would undoubtedly hold up physically to a great deal of abuse. My concern is the Electronics, switches, weak pickups, and inability to hold tune or intonation. I have also broken the .009 High E string (twice) tuning it.

    FINAL NOTE: The LP-100 CAN be made into a GREAT guitar. If you take it apart and strip it down, and replace the toggle switch, and ALL wiring, and pickups... which is what I'm currently in the process of doing with it. When I'm finished, I'll have AT LEAST a couple hundred more bucks in it. For the original price and cost of replacing electronic hardware, I could have bought a higher quality Gibson, Fender or Washburn model, and done nothing to them, which is CERTAINLY what I would recommend to anyone, rather than go through what I am going through to bring this model up to par. PS: I have also reviewed a Yamaha Pacifica 112 on this site, you can read it for a comparison, if you like. I bought the 112 mainly to have a playable guitar while I change out nearly everything on this Epi, & I already like the Yamaha 112 better out of the box, than I have ever liked this Epi. If this LP100 were not such a great looking guitar, (Cherry Sunburst, I would probably sell it and keep the Yamaha forever.

  13. Construction Rating: 7

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  1. Average Ratings
  2. Performance: 5
  3. Sound Quality: 6
  4. Construction: 5
  5. Ratings Key
  6. 10: Excellent
  7. 0: Useless
  8. Company
  9. Epiphone

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