Epiphone Les Paul Standard Transblack – Limited Edition
By MNJ
| Posted in Guitar
This 2010 model Epiphone Les Paul Standard Limited Edition in Transblack is a striking looking guitar by anybody’s standards. Essentially it’s a mahogany body, maple capped Les Paul in the traditional sense but with the flamed maple top still clearly visible under the transparent black finish.
This is going to appeal to the player who wants that ‘all-black’ vibe and the associated connotations with hard rock and metal. However, they may still want to retain some traditional features for when they haul it out to a blues jam or lend it to their Dad. They dont want to go all they way with skulls and crossbones and associated insignia on their instrument which just screams ‘metal head’.
All the hardware and plastic parts on the Epiphone Les Paul Standard Limited Edition are black with the exception of the scratchplate and truss rod cover, both of which are Mother of Pearl. These could easily be swapped for black versions quite cheaply although the MOP does add a touch of class. Black hardware on a guitar has its advantages – it doesn’t tarnish and the black coating hardly ever wears off unlike chrome or nickel. The pickups are Alnico Classic Humbuckers, shown here with their protective covering. Peel that plastic off and they are double black humbuckers without covers. Opinions about Epiphone pickups are mixed, but it’s not unrealistic to think about upgrading them at some point.
The fingerboard is a dark rosewood with trapezoid inlays. Again, these features remain in the traditional Les Paul vein, reflecting Epiphone’s intentions for this to be a ‘crossover’ instrument. Both the body and the neck feature black plastic binding in keeping with the rest of the guitar’s design.
With its set neck and quality fittings, it’s fair to say that this is a serious guitar, and it sits in the mid to upper price bracket for an Epi. Of course, that’s still a quarter of the price you would expect to pay for a Gibson Les Paul Standard, and therein lies popularity of the Epiphone brand – these guitars are licenced and quality controlled by Gibson, but for less cash. But any guitar has to stand up in its own right and on its own terms, so if an Epiphone Les Paul is going to be your main guitar then it needs to be up to the job. This Epiphone Les Paul Standard Limited Edition in Transblack looks pretty special to me, but I’ll let you be the judge.
Tags: Alnico humbuckers, epiphone les paul, Gibson