Comments about Epiphone Les Paul Black Beauty 3 Electric Guitar:

Oh, Epiphone! Outrageous fortune here! I've been playing since 1984. I own Ric, Paul Reed Smith, Gibson, Fender, Charvel, Gretsch, Taylor, etc., etc., etc. Epiphone can be a fun brand if you get the right models; this is one of them. That aside, Epiphone has pulled the most quirky trick I've ever seen dared in a guitar, with this Black Beauty model. They have put three identical model cheap humbuckers in this rack that range in sound from bright but blurry at the bridge, to unplayable in mid, to unthinkable at the neck. However, they have been sly enough to walk away having winked, leaving us with a 3-way toggle switch(forget the volume/tone knob arrangement--it's not worth explaining). And therein lies the devious genius yet bizarre catch that makes you smirk and scowl simultaneously with this model in hand. For you've been had and Epiphone knows it, yet cunningly you've been given a deck and a not poorly made instrument to 'Frankenstein' up as you please (this model, by the way, is nothing other than a standard plus top arched model simply without the color burst, but with added price for a pickup that should be burried under rock). There is no mixing pickups here, so each pickup does not produce any sound except that of what the pickup claims they do when installed in any of the 3 slots. The neck sound doesn't get fatter or muddier over the bridge tone; they're equally poweful. Hence, you can literally have 3 distinct guitars at once in this one model, as different sounding as what you add--a flick of the toggle, you're on another musical planet, whatever sounds you want to play around with. My advice to the young rocker: put in a Gibson Probucker, a Seymour Duncan of any kind, and a Gibson '57, and boom, your Epiphone platform launches you with sufficient power and in such an atypical manner that it doesn't seem possible for one machine to accomplish. That's the bare bone truth. But prepare to invest,and that takes you into Gibson country, as well as many others. It all depends, I suppose, if you like the playability of a high-end Epiphone, for the tones here can be ear candy.

Comments about Epiphone Les Paul Black Beauty 3 Electric Guitar:

This is an awesome guitar, the sound is spectacular, I was a little hesitant in buying it because the price was a little higher than I wanted to spend but it was worth it. Another feature of this guitar is the fret neck a little wider which makes it easier for me to play because of my big fingers. The only thing I miss is a Whammy bar.

Comments about Epiphone Les Paul Black Beauty 3 Electric Guitar:

I play frequently enough to need a durable and great sounding guitar. But I lack the budget to obtain a US made instrument. Enter the epi black beauty! Luckily I got mine used so I didn't pay full price, but I would gladly pay for it and know it is worth every penny. As far as epis go its probably one of the best there is. The neck is fast and the tone is rich, and it looks sexy! Is it a Gibson? No, and it doesnt need to be, it holds
It's own for sure. And it's well suited for players who aren't getting paid large sums of money to play music every night. Do yourself a favor and save the money and get one it's all you weekend warriors will ever need.
Enough to keep things interesting
Its a les paul
Best guitar for the price

Comments about Epiphone Les Paul Black Beauty 3 Electric Guitar:

overall, if you have the money to buy this guitar, do it now. when Epiphone stops making them, muchos people are going to wish they had and will feel dumb for ignoreing this beautiful guitar. this is by far the best guitar that Epiphone makes.
PICKUPS

the 3 57' classic pickups are average. you cant use more than one pickup at a time though. but they're good, nonetheless. if you want to play metal, you might consiter buying some EMG HZ actives or some Seymore Duncan Blackouts to go in it to make it what you want, the 57s are more for cassic rock and blues.

SETUP

the setup of the bridge and tailpiece was outstanding. there was not a buzz or rattle anywere in sight. the pickups were set PERFECTLY. and the strings that came on it lasted from Thanksgiving 2011 till April 8th 2012. the frets were filed great.

COLOR

the color (finish and gold hardware) was great. nice and shiney. kudos to the finishing guy at Epiphone. the clear coat shows everyting though, like finger prints, skin dust, and pick scratches. the gold hardware leaves the bridge and bridge pickup prety quick if you palm mut eeverything you play like me. but theres not really a way to prevent that from happening. just a natural part of a guitars life. the heel of the guitar where the neck meets the body was really pointy. all it takes is some EXTREAMLY fine grind paper to get rid of it.
the quality of this guitar is great. very well built. after all, there all made on the same equipment that made the first Gibsons. id give this guitar a 1,000,000,000 on a scale to 10 for craftsmanship.
your getting exacly what you pay for with this guitar, but it should include a case for sure.

Comments about Epiphone Les Paul Black Beauty 3 Electric Guitar:

Overall this is turning out to be well worth the money. Would buy another if this one was stolen or destroyed.
I've had this for 3 weeks now and I'm very impressed. Solid feel to the guitar. Neck is fast and the 12" radius fits my fingers much better than my old Strat. My playing has greatly improved since purchase. I attribute that to the size of the neck.

Pickups:
The 3 pickups provide a wide variety of tone from metal crunch to silky blues and even twangy country. I consider this guitar a multi-purpose guitar so if you're looking for dedicated metal axe then you'll either need to swap or buy a different guitar.

Weight:
I can confirm that this guitar is heavy. Doesn't bother me as I don't gig (yet) and am not exactly small. Someone with a smaller frame may want to give this some thought though.

Setup:
You may need to raise the action a tad. There's some fret buzz because it comes with the action set pretty low. New strings? Yea, everyone has their favorites, nuff said there.

Other Thoughts:
Buy a fitted case. I'd be upset if the finish on this beauty gets marred. Also, consider getting a wider padded strap. That will help aleviate the weight somewhat.
It's

Comments about Epiphone Les Paul Black Beauty 3 Electric Guitar:

Over all this guitar is awesome, nice price, nice sound, nice set up, it is a good guitar to get just as a professional guitar even.
This guitar may say Epiphone, but this guitar gives you the same tone, the same quality, an the same feeling that a GIBSON Les Paul Custom would give you, I was at a Vintage Guitar store in Seattle an they had a Gibson Les Paul Custom (3 PU's) (1974) an a Epiphone Les Paul Custom (3 PU's) (1989) an when I was playin' those on a nice Marshall 1978 Double Stack, they both had the same, raw, rock an roll power that you are always use too. So when you buy a Epiphone, most of the time, your buyin' a Gibson
The 3 Humbuckers (or the "Frampton Set" I like to call it) are awesome pick ups, you can get the same tone as Jimmy Page, Frampton, an others, it is an awesome guitar, being able to have the 3 tones instead of 2 tones, its awesome.
it was an AWESOME price for this guitar!

Comments about Epiphone Les Paul Black Beauty 3 Electric Guitar:

Fantastic guitar. I got mine for a deal. Don't know if I'd go with the the price where it is. Needs to be set-up when you receive it. Wish Epiphone had made it 3 volume and one tone. I've always been frustrated that I can not have all 3 pickups on at once, or neck and bridge to give it a real Les Paul sound. Split coils would be nice, too. Don't want to spend the money with a tech to do this. Epiphone should have gotten it right.

If I were to do it again, at this price, I'd buy a Les Paul Special II. I own one of those and the sound is very similar. The Black Beauty is HEAVY weight-wise. Since I own one, and I got a great deal, I'm happy.

Comments about Epiphone Les Paul Black Beauty 3 Electric Guitar:

I've had this guitar for a few years now. I've got to say, it's a very nice guitar for the most part. Construction on it is top notch and it plays like a dream. There are a few problems though, which is why this guitar is the price it is. The pick ups are absolute junk and will need to be replaced. That is, unless you're happy with the toneless muddy attempt at creating a PAF type sound that these pick ups offer. I've put Seymour Duncan 59s in all positions and they are fantastic. Tuners have a really high gear ratio so fine tuning and doing a quick tune during a gig are a pain. eventually your toggle and input jack will probably fail on you also, and the pots are also junk. But if you do these upgrades, you wont feel like you've wasted your money. It will turn a decent guitar into a pretty damn good guitar. It still puts a smile on my face every time I play it, even after owning it for years.

Comments about Epiphone Les Paul Black Beauty 3 Electric Guitar:

My first guitar may have been a squier affinity strat, but to me this was my true first guitar. I bought it from musiciansfriend over 8 years ago for my 15th birthday and its the one thing i would take out of the house in the event of a fire. Girlfriend and cat have legs...run haha all i have to say. Great tone for the price, theyre nothing fancy but Ive created many a personal chart topper on this guitar. The gold has all but worn off (do NOT clean the hardware with windex, gold wipes right off with a little effort) but it adds character and gives it that "this is my go-to guitar" look. The finish is like a quarter inch thick it takes a lot to damage it. Great tuners, nice binding, nice finish only problem i have had with it is the tone switch is gritty sounding and doesnt like switching to the rhythm pickup very much. Ive meant to fix it since i got it but i really never use that bassy of sounds in what i play. For all intents and purposes i probably would have been better off getting a lp custom with stainless hardware but either way this is the 1911 of guitars. Old reliable design and you dont have to spend 4 grand to get a good one that will end up being your favorite. Easy to customize as well.

Comments about Epiphone Les Paul Black Beauty 3 Electric Guitar:

I've owned this guitar for about 4 or so years, and i must say that this is a great guitar! The biggest complaint i've been hearing about the Epiphone les pauls seems to be about the pickups, and while they're not quite to the same level as the pickups they put in the gibson les pauls, these are in no way bad pickups. I've been playing for somewhere in between 7 and 8 years and my standards are pretty high when it comes to tone but this guitar shines in every type of situation! It is primarily used to play rock which it really excels at(which a les paul should!) but I've played everything from rock to blues to country with this guitar and it always does well! It has that real deep bassy bottom end which we've come to love from les pauls while still having really crisp highs that when you hook up to some distortion really sounds sick!! overall I love this guitar, its been my primary guitar ever since i first bought it and i doubt that'll change anytime soon. The only thing i would change about it would maybe be trapezoidal inlays but thats more of a personal preference. I'd highly recommend this guitar to anyone who love a good rich tone and a guitar that'll perform in any situation.