“Forget the name on the headstock, at this price this Les Paul is a steal”: Epiphone Joe Bonamassa 1955 Les Paul Standard review

What is it?

The Joe Bonamassa 1955 Les Paul Standard is the latest collaboration between the bluesman/guitar obsessive and Epiphone, following the 1959 'Lazarus' Les Paul, three-pickup 1963 SG Custom, and 1962 ES-335. If you’re looking for a Les Paul that’s both affordable and slightly different, this new Epiphone –– at least on paper –– certainly ticks the right boxes.

It’s based on a custom-colour ‘brown’ mid-fifties spec ‘Paul that Joe Bonamassa came across back in 2016 and thanks to detective work by Gibson turns out to have been – possibly – one of five custom colour Les Pauls that were made for the 1955 NAMM show.

Gibson’s ledger gives the ‘brown’ a name: Copper Iridescent, that certainly on this Epiphone repro is a dark copper metallic, which almost flip-flops in different lighting. It’s certainly a welcome change from a typical Gold Top but it’s also about a lot more than just this unusual paint job.

Specs

Price: $849/£799
Made: China
Type: Single-cutaway, solidbody electric
Body: Mahogany with bound carved maple top
Neck: Mahogany, ‘Custom '59 Rounded C’ profile, glued-in
Fingerboard: Cream bound laurel, pearloid trapezoid inlays, 305mm (12”) radius
Scale length: 24.75”/629mm
Nut/width: Graph Tech/43.1mm
Frets: 22, medium jumbo
Hardware: Epiphone LockTone tune-o-matic bridge and stopbar tailpiece, Epiphone Deluxe vintage-style tuners w/ keystone buttons – chrome/nickel plated
String spacing at bridge: 51mm
Electrics: 2x Epiphone P-90 PRO soapbar single coils, 3-way toggle pickup selector switch, volume and tone for each pickup
Weight (lb/kg): 8.71/3.96
Options: Epiphone Les Paul Special (£489), Gibson Les Paul Standard 50s P-90 Gold Top (£2,649)
Left-handed options: Not this model
Finish options: Copper Iridescent metallic (as reviewed) – all gloss
Case: Epiphone hard case
Contact: Epiphone

Build quality

Build quality rating: ★★★★½

Despite the 1955 aim, this all-gloss finish makes no attempt to look aged, and price-wise sits pretty much in the middle of the Epiphone range. Currently it’s the only carved-top Epi Les Paul with P-90s, too.

The build quality, however, is rather good - like the cleanly jointed two-piece back and the nicely scraped cream binding but above all, the fundamentals aren’t forgotten. At 8.71lb/3.95kg, it’s a great weight for an all-solid Les Paul and although the bridge sits a little high, and with it the bridge pickup, neither ruins the fun.

Unlike Gibson, the fretting is more conventional too with the wire sitting over the fingerboard binding and although the ‘board itself is laurel – which doesn’t always get the best rep – our sample is a very rosewood-like deep brown.

Hardware is standard Epiphone style, but both the tune-o-matic bridge and stud tailpiece stay in place when you go to re-string, hence their LockTone name, while the tuners are really quite vintage in style with push-in grommets on the headstock. Another nod to modernism is the Graph Tech – presumably Tusq – nut which is perfectly well shaped.

Yes, some rather sharp edges to the control knobs and the pickguard –– the latter a little ill-fitting around the bridge pickup – are a reminder of the origin and low cost. But even then those knobs appear to have been painted underneath to match the top colour which is another nice detail.

Playability

Playability rating: ★★★★★

The quoted ‘Custom '59 Rounded C’ neck profile falls into the ‘big’ category and dimensionally it’s very close to Gibson’s “50s Vintage” profile although comparing the two, the Epiphone is a little less deep in upper positions and has slightly less-full shoulders that many will prefer.

And while the fret tops could do with a little more smoothing, likewise the ends, the set-up is good; it ships with .10s and once the strings are stretched and everything's settled in, tuning stability is solid. No complaints here.

Sounds

Sounds rating: ★★★★★

As mentioned P-90s aren’t common on Epiphone (nor Gibson) Les Pauls but, like the finish, the P-90 PROs here prove to be another calling card - not least that although we have the standard individual volume and tone control setup, the circuit is actually wired vintage-style, as it would have been back in the day, not modern-style.

So what? Well with the four controls full up there’s no difference between the two and the Epiphone’s voice has a raw edge and pokey midrange at bridge with a full thicker voice at neck; combined there’s both depth and clarity: three strong sounds.

Compared to a contemporary Gibson Les Paul Classic and ‘50s Standard (both with Burstbucker 1 and 2 humbuckers) and even a real 1957 Les Paul Junior with its ferocious dog-ear P-90, the Epiphone holds its own.

The vintage wiring comes into its own as you pull back the controls: the volumes retain the single coil clarity as you pull them back while the tone controls thin the sound a little before the usual high-end roll-off. It might take a little adjustment over a modern-wired guitar but the usable tonal range is definitely increased.

Verdict

If you’re after full-fat creamy tones from your Les Paul then this might not be first choice.

Instead, these soapbar single coils – not least with the vintage wiring – create a much more nuanced instrument with sparkle and bite that’ll appeal to any player referencing the fifties and sixties in their sound choices: cool jazz to feisty garage rock, it’s got you covered.

Combine that sonic flexibility with a good weight, very good neck shape and stable tuning – and let’s not forget the unique colour! – and I’m wondering where the catch is. Forget the name on the headstock, at this price this Les Paul is a steal.

MusicRadar verdict: With its unique finish and rare-bird soapbar single coils this 1955-style Les Paul is a whole lotta vintage-style guitar for £1.8k less than the Gibson equivalent. ‘Nuff said.

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Hands-on videos

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Joe Bonamassa Introduces the Epiphone 1955 Les Paul Standard - YouTube

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