NUD - Epiphone Les Paul Concert

ChaosToo · May 30, 2013

And yet another one to add to the growing collection!

Bought off Evil Bay - 'as new', saving myself about £20 on the retail price, so happy with that. It looks like it's hardly been played - the strings certainly aren't even bedded in yet!

First impressions - GORGEOUS finish! Not overly impressed by the glued on 'pick guard', but other than that, I can't find a mark, blem or out of line tuner (a pet hate!).

It's a heavy little thing but I knew that - and it's certainly solidly built from the looks of it!

Action at the saddle is WAAAAY too high, but is nice and low at the nut, so sorting it out is an easy enough task. The tuners themselves are smooth as silk, and there's no sharp fret edges. It'd be unfair to criticise the intonation due to the very high bridge - it's out at the moment, but I'll report back when I've done some messing about with the action.

It's quiet 'unplugged' but makes a nice sound through my little Marshall amp.

The strings are black (GHS?) jobs and, to be honest, sound dull - but I'll leave them on for now, as they do the job and I'm more likely to play it amped up than acoustic anyway.

Overall, I bought this uke because it looks so great - it's a Les Paul afterall!

Tsani · May 30, 2013

Enjoy!! My Les Paul is one of my most favorite ukes. It is hard to pick one over another - they are like children - but the Les Paul has a special place. It is my performance uke every Sunday morning.

Tsani · May 30, 2013

Hey, get rid of those black strings and put some Worth's or Living Water strings on it. You will be happier. I am using Living Water strings and I am very satisfied with the feel and the sound.

ChrisRCovington · May 30, 2013

I have one and it is a fun little uke. One of my friends in the department has one also and it is her go to uke. She has Worths med. browns and likes them. I put Aquilla nylongut on mine to really drive the thick top and they make a big difference.

BigSkyUkuleleGirl · May 30, 2013

Congrats, I too love mine!!

gitarzan · May 30, 2013

That's cool.

Pickguards are usually stuck on with stickum, a little warmth and a slow peel can take that off if you really would like to go.

A mini raised pickguard would be awesome.

jop · May 30, 2013

It is very easy to adjust the action. Unbolt the neck, put in a few slivers of veneer, plastic, cardboard ... at the far end of the fretboard, re-attach the neck and Robert's your cousin's father.

ChaosToo · May 30, 2013

I think the uke could benefit from a bone nut - not sure whether it was the previous owner or a shop setup, but the nut slots are really deep, so I might end up replacing it. Got the action down nice and low by sanding down the saddle, rather than unbolting the neck.......

I might get brave and remove the pick guard to smarten it up a touch ......

camperman · May 30, 2013

Congrats on your new uke.
I was watching one on Ebay (didn't bid just curiosity) until a day or 2 ago so I'm guessing it's the one you bought.
I really fancy one of these for no particular reason other than it's a bit different but as it's a Les Paul I'm sure it's much better than some of the cheapo look alikes.
It'd be nice to hear a few more of your opinions about your new uke once you've settled down with it even though I'll probably impulse buy one next pay day anyway

By the way I saw a faulty one for sale "as is" and the pick guard was missing and it was a mess so have a good think before removing yours.

Pueo · May 30, 2013

I love my Les Paul! I have the Vintage finish which I fancy more than the cherry. I got it on sale at Guitar Center with a 15% off coupon to boot so I paid less than $100 out the door including tax. For the price it is a great ukulele, very well built, beautiful finish. Unplugged the sound is not great but it works, and it is one that I can sit and strum while we watch TV and not really bother anyone. I currently have Ko`olau Alohi strings on it which are a HUGE improvement over the lackluster GHS strings that come with it. I bought it on a lark just for the looks but it turned out to be a great purchase that I use much more than I thought I would. Incidentally, the intonation and action on mine were remarkably good when I opened the box and I have not had to make any adjustments, I guess I got lucky from what I have heard from other owners. Is there an equivalent to Guitar Center/ Sam Ash / Musician's Friend in the UK?

camperman · May 30, 2013

Pueo said:
I love my Les Paul! I have the Vintage finish which I fancy more than the cherry.

Is there an equivalent to Guitar Center/ Sam Ash / Musician's Friend in the UK?

I really like the vintage finish too.

I'm not very sure if there's anything like those stores in the UK but maybe someone else will know. New price of the Les Paul here is £79 which I think is a bargain seeing as how the last passive electric uke I bought for the same price was very poor and went straight back.

I like the Les Paul for a number of reasons. Everyone who has one seems to love it. It's a bit different

And I also gather it's a bit quiet unplugged which would be a bonus for me as I get home from work in the wee small hours and it means I can enjoy some strumming while I have some "me time" without waking the neighbours.

If I find a used bargain on eBay I'll grab it but if not I'll hang on til payday and get a new one in Vintage colour.

ChaosToo · May 31, 2013

Camperman - I guess we were both looking at the same one! I got it for the max I was willing to spend secondhand - but even new, they're hardly 'expensive' in the grand scheme of things, although the Cherry burst seems to be the one that gets sold out quickly - no dramas for you if you want the Vintage! A quick Google search will bring up lots .......

Other than feeling as though I need to thrash the strings to make some noise, which actually hurts after a short while, I really, really can't fault it!

It's the most stunning looking uke and now I've taken the action right down, it's a breeze to fret. The strings aren't up to much (IMHO - based on a whole 5 months of playing!), but that's easily sorted.

Me being me, I will be changing the nut and saddle for bone items (and I am sorely tempted to remove and refit the pick guard too - just for the looks), but it's really not necessary - it's just me having this perpetual urge to mess about with things!

I guess the ONLY downside is the cheapo bag - it's really nothing more than a dust cover - but again, who cares - it's a Les Paul!

camperman · Jun 1, 2013

I just watched another nice one that went for £56. If I'd have bid it would have only raised the price and I don't see much point in spending maybe £60 on a used item I've only seen on ebay pics when the new cost is £79.

Soon be payday though

Ed

Captain Simian · Jun 3, 2013

ChaosToo said:
I think the uke could benefit from a bone nut - not sure whether it was the previous owner or a shop setup, but the nut slots are really deep, so I might end up replacing it. Got the action down nice and low by sanding down the saddle, rather than unbolting the neck.......

I might get brave and remove the pick guard to smarten it up a touch ......

I also have an Epi LP in tobacco sunburst. I had no problems removing the pickguard. Just do it slowly and once it comes off use some naptha to get rid of the leftover glue. Here's a picture of mine with my matching Eastwood Club bass.View attachment 53934

fumanshu · Jun 3, 2013

It's a nice looking uke.....it's really have a uke that is a replica of the Les Paul in look!!!! I also heard that it's quite hard to play because of the high action like you said......and how does it sound like....is it decent?

https://soundcloud.com/baouke/lady-standby-by-lotus-notes ....get funky....

teruterubouzu · Jun 3, 2013

Congratulations on your new Les Paul. I love the finish on it.

I have a k-wave Les Paul-style and it also has high action, but it is metallic gold so I forgive it.

Ambient Doughnut · Jun 3, 2013

camperman said:
I just watched another nice one that went for £56. If I'd have bid it would have only raised the price and I don't see much point in spending maybe £60 on a used item I've only seen on ebay pics when the new cost is £79.

Soon be payday though

Ed

Yeah, I bid on that but decided £56 was enough so let it go. Included a nice capo though so not a bad price.

Tsani · Jun 4, 2013

I wonder why they chose to make the pickguard in white? I think it would have looked better with black. I think they would also benefit from making an all black version with the classic Les Paul styling.

I also like f-holes, but it can reduce the volume and this is already a quiet uke when unplugged. I think for a uke with f-holes to sound good it has to be at least tenor sized.

Of course you can probably tell I am really longing for a Kala Archtop in black - but if Epiphone did a similar treatment with their Les Paul I think it would be a hot item.

ChaosToo · Jun 4, 2013

Captain Simian said:
I also have an Epi LP in tobacco sunburst. I had no problems removing the pickguard. Just do it slowly and once it comes off use some naptha to get rid of the leftover glue. Here's a picture of mine with my matching Eastwood Club bass.View attachment 53934

Any tips on removing the pick guard? Will gentle heat suffice, or is there more to it? I quite fancy taking it off, re-finishing it then putting it back on more in keeping with it's big brother......

Re. how it sounds - it's quiet due to the semi-solid body (and more likely, the strings), but that's not an issue for me, as I bought it to play through an amp and mostly for how it looks .........

Pueo · Jun 4, 2013

Last year I took my Les Paul to the Roy Sakuma Ukulele Festival here in Hawaii. I took my Les Paul because it is the least expensive (playable) ukulele I own and is ruggedly built so I would not have to worry about it. Well what I was not prepared for was all these Hawaiians with their customs, K-Brands, and crazy expensive ukuleles all ogling my $99 Les Paul. Weird. It was a fun day though!

NUD - Epiphone Les Paul Concert

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