Longer review (TLDR shorter one at the bottom):
The good:
Pretty much everything that matters to me the most, is great. Nut is cut at perfect height, and frets are leveled perfectly, I can go as low as I want with the action without fret buzz. Fret rocker detects just one fret that is slightly higher than others, but it's so minute that it doesn't affect anything no matter how low I set the action, so it's a non issue and not worth addressing. In fact, when it came the neck was completely strait! And even like that there was no buzz (I added some relief because personal preference).
Neck angle is correct, stop bar can go all the way down.
The "bad":
Nothing really. There is just one minor thing that could be put in "bad" category. One of the screws for adjusting pickup height must be bent a little, when I adjust the height, it wiggles the pickup as I turn it. But since it's set and forget type of thing, I don't even plan on changing it.
Neutral, i.e. not important for anything but listing it anyway:
Tuners have a little more play than I'd expect from Grovers, but function as advertised.
I removed the pickguard and there is the tiniest little chip on the finish where the screw hole is. Covered completely with screw head of the screw that holds the pickguard on the side of the guitar (has a little bigger head), nitpicking really.
Frets needed polishing.
Things you should know before buying:
1) This is a Les Paul. It has contoured heel, but don't expect Ibanez AANJ. There is a retaining wire on the bridge, it can buzz when played dry (doesn't come through when played plugged in), same as on several times more expensive guitars.
2) Epiphone labels the frets as "medium jumbo". Not sure if the word "jumbo" should be used for these frets. They are 1.3mm high and 2.3mm wide.
3) Hex key for adjusting the truss rod doesn't come with the guitar! This is an omission by Epiphone if you ask me. Make sure to get one if you don't have it from previous purchase.
4) Due to the treble bleed circuit volume tapper works so there is little change in volume until you come to, let's say, three on the volume pot. Then it drops rapidly from three to zero. You might like it, you might not, you might not care.
Short review:
This is a fourth guitar I bought online and it's the first one that didn't got sent back and didn't need to go to a luthier to fix it up, even though it's not the most expensive one I bought.
Funny thing, all previous ones came in pristine boxes, and outer box of this one was so mangled up that I thought it was broken for sure :D But it was well packed on the inside, even with bubble wrap under the neck, so no damage.
Sounds awesome. Plays awesome. Is awesome.
