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Epiphone Limited Edition 1959 Les Paul Standard Review – Is It The Classic You Always Wanted?

Epiphone Limited Edition 1959 Les Paul Standard Electric Guitar

Epiphone 1959 Les Paul Overview

Designed in collaboration with Gibson’s Custom Shop, the Epiphone Limited Edition 1959 Les Paul promises to bring a lot to the table for long time Les Paul fans.

Resting on the rich history of one of the world’s most collectible guitars, Epiphone’s much more affordable version of Gibson’s historic 1959 Les Paul Standard is being touted as the “poor man’s 59 Les Paul”.

Along with the recently redesigned headstock (a great cosmetic improvement in our opinion), the Epiphone Limited Edition 1959 Les Paul Standard definitely has a foot in the door.

In this review, we’ll look at the quality of fit and finish, playability, and how the guitar sounds, and perhaps most importantly, the overall value if you’re in the market for just one more guitar.

Epiphone has grown into one of the world’s most versatile guitar manufacturers. Originating in Turkey in the 1800s, the company is now well established with a long history of its own, and of being associated with its parent company Gibson.

Considering the relationship between the two companies, it makes a lot of sense to release a tribute to the 1959 Les Paul Standard, pump up the quality, and add an extra layer of respectability to the Epiphone brand.

Retailing at around the eight hundred dollar mark (USD), the re-envisioned 1959 Standard from Epiphone makes for a great deal that should appeal to fans of Les Pauls – especially when you add in the vintage-style pink plush lined case which is included.

A Classic Les Paul Design for Everyone

In general, the Les Paul range of guitars is one of Epiphone’s most featured products with the instantly recognizable shape automatically conjures up an instrument with plenty of history.

At its core, the combination of the mahogany body and maple cap, plus the solid mahogany neck are the basis of a traditional Les Paul sonic footprint. Mix in a pair of killer Burstbucker pickups as the output engine and you immediately have a recipe for great tone.

Sporting a great pedigree combined with great build quality, the Epiphone 1959 Les Paul Standard Electric Guitar is certainly a far more affordable option compared to its more purebred counterpart.

Currently available in three classic color schemes: Aged Dark Burst, Aged Dark Cherry Burst, and Aged Honey Burst gloss, all three finishes give a respectable nod to the original cosmetic designs.

Epiphone 1959 Les Paul Standard Features:

• Inspired 1959 Gibson Les Paul design
• American-made Gibson USA Burstbucker pickups
• Mallory 150 polyester film tone capacitors
• CTS pots and Switchcraft toggle switch
• Figured AAA maple top on a mahogany back
• Rounded Medium “C” mahogany neck
• Aged gloss finish
• Tune-O-Matic bridge
• Epiphone Vintage Deluxe 18:1 tuners

Finish Variations to Choose From:

Aged Dark Burst

Aged Dark Cherry Burst

Aged Honey Burst Gloss

Superior Electronics that Perform

As mentioned, the Epiphone Limited Edition 1959 is powered by two fabulous USA-made Burstbucker pickups: a Burstbucker 2 in the neck position for more of a 57 tone, and a Burstbucker 3 in the bridge for full-on PAF tone.

In the main control cavity, you’ll find quality CTS pots combined with Mallory 150 polyester film caps which together provide excellent overall control over output.

When we inspected the interior of the electronics cavity, the only real concern we had (other than the unsightly wiring itself)  was the lack of extra insulation around the braided pickup wires. Not that it’s a huge issue, but the possibility of a short across live contacts should be taken into consideration.

The toggle switch is Switchcraft, a well respected brand known for producing rugged long-lasting electronic parts found in great guitars.

On the face of the instrument, the vintage-style gold bell knobs sit proud just as they would on a real ’59.

As many players know, superior electronics go a long way in producing the sounds you want. Overall, this is a mod-free, no upgrades required electronics setup right out of the box.

Click Here to Read the Latest Epiphone 1959 Standard Reviews >>

Warranty Coverage That Lasts

Unlike many companies on the market, Epiphone offers a lifetime warranty. As stated on the Epiphone website, “Your new Epiphone instrument is warranted to be free from defects in materials and workmanship for the life of the original retail purchaser”.

That being said, you really can’t go wrong trusting the company will take care of any issues with their Limited Edition 1959 Les Paul Standard.

While this warranty doesn’t necessarily cover everything, it does help ensure that you don’t have to worry about manufacturing issues. Considering most other companies only offer a one-year warranty, this is an exceptional offer.

How Does the Epiphone 59 Les Paul Standard Sound?

The Burstbucker pickups are particularly refined producing full, rich, classic (yet controlled) tones. There are few more refined sounding guitars on the market making this is one of your best options for an electric powerhouse of an instrument.

Plugged in, the controls interact on a professional level – which is to be expected. As you roll back the volume controls, the pickups clean up nicely, especially when put through a good tube amp.

There’s no hint of the muddiness that comes from cheaper pickups at all. Much the dynamics between the controls can be attributed to the original 50’s style wiring.

When full out, the pickups are dynamic and responsive to touch and attack – just as they should be.

The tone controls work excellently within the network, rolling off highs in a smooth contour. The .022 Mallory caps easily shunt the hi frequencies well into the ground as you approach zero.

In fact they go so deep some players might find the final cutoff a bit much. That being said, it’s better to have too much in this case rather than not enough – you can still dial in what works for your ears.

What’s the Build Quality Like?

Our first impression was very good. On the workbench the guitar was resonant and rang out loud, long and strong with a single rake of the strings. Overall, the fit and finish seemed pretty clean.

As expected, the full weight mahogany construction is typical of a Les Paul. The body itself is two pieces and capped with a maple which is finished off with an attractive AAA maple veneer to complete the visual.

The neck was beefy with its rounded medium C contour but was not uncomfortable. A scarf joint was evident where the neck started to flare into the headstock at the back.

It’s worth noting that there isn’t a true “59” one-size-fits-all neck profile. Because the original instruments were not so machine made, the more hands-on manufacturing of the day produced variations in neck profiles. That being said, we do have somewhat of a generalized average to go by.

Moving on, the Indian Laurel fretboard was a little dry and happily soaked up a few drops of lemon oil conditioner. The medium-jumbo frets were clean and even, but definitely had a machine finish to them. Nonetheless, the guitar played flawlessly with ringing notes and easy bends.

The newly minted Epiphone Deluxe vintage tuners, much like Kluson keystone tuners, have an excellent smooth feel indicating a high level of attention to machining detail. With an 18:1 ratio and maching vintage-style inserts on the headstock face, the overall effect is indeed complete.

During our setup procedure we noticed a few small things that needed attention:

• The slots of the Graph Tech NuBone nut were a little high and needed to be filed down to be more comfortable. Keep in mind, it’s not uncommon to have nut slots a little proud from the factory. If you play a lot of slide, this is a good thing and is anticipated.
• The knurled nut for the toggle switch was a little loose. Again this is a fairly common issue with some new guitars in general, and was easily tightened up using an appropriate tool.
• We noticed the jack was a bit unnaturally stiff when plugging in the guitar. The problem was due to the inner positive contact bumping into the inner wall of the route. The remedy was to simply loosen the jack, rotate it a few degrees, tighten it back up and voila! Problem solved.
• Cosmetically, there was a noticeable flat spot at the very top part of what should be the arch. The pickup surrounds were designed to marry with the complete curve therefor there was a small gap evident. With a little work, they could be trimmed to fit.
• Lastly, there was a little bit of a sharp edge in a few spots where the binding transitioned to the top. We suspect the uppermost part of the binding liquified a little during the polishing phase producing the edge. The fix was easy and the excess was removed cleanly with a little help of a fine file.

Should you wish to trade or sell the instrument down the road, the resale value is very much in the name. As long as the instrument is kept in good condition, the Epiphone brand will allow you to recover a good chunk of its value.

Epiphone Les Paul Standard Key Points

Epiphone Les Paul 1959 Standard Electric Guitar in Review

What Do Epiphone 1959 Standard Users Think? >>

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Final Thoughts On The Epiphone Les Paul 1959 Standard Limited Edition: Is It The Guitar For You?

The Epiphone Les Paul 1959 Standard from Gibson definitely offers a huge bang for the buck. When you factor in the premium electronics and vintage style hardshell case, these upgrades alone make for a good deal.

It’s definitely not the original by any means – but it’s certainly in the wheelhouse. There are a few small details that could be improved which. when you consider the price point, are easily offset.

Whether you’re a collector or an enthusiast, this guitar is designed to hit the sweet spot for anyone looking for a vintage-inspired Les Paul purchase.

Check Epiphone 1959 Les Paul Standard Availability Here! >>

Manufacturer Info:

Website: https://www.epiphone.com/

About: Since 1873, Epiphone is one of American’s oldest and most revered instrument makers.

The post Epiphone 1959 Les Paul Standard Electric Guitar Review [Limited Edition] first appeared on GuitarNiche.

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You’ll also learn some of the tricks of the trade that help you achieve superior results, and guarantee a fantastic playing instrument.

This particular build was requested by a very good customer of mine, Ryan B., who supplied all the necessary goodies. As for the build process, I’ve listed the steps in point form wherever possible to keep things moving along.

Building an SRV Replica Guitar

List of Primary Parts

The primary parts for this build were purchased through a number of sources. Small hardware parts were supplied, meticulously aged, by Ryan the owner:

Klein Epic Series Hand Wound Pickups: https://www.kleinpickups.com/default.aspx

Schaller Tuners: https://schaller.info/en/

Musikraft Custom Neck: https://www.musikraft.com/

MJT Custom Aged Alder Body: https://www.mjtagedfinishes.com/

Attaching the Neck

First priority on this SRV guitar is attaching the neck. This will give us a read on the basic geometry and provide stability on the workbench.

The entire structure of the build will hinge on how well the neck marries with the body; from how well the neck sits in the pocket, to it’s lateral and horizontal positions.

As I inspected the neck and body, I took note that both pieces were predrilled for the neck bolts. With the two parts being supplied by different manufacturers, this could be an issue.

• The body and neck holes were checked for alignment. They weren’t perfect but should work fine with right approach. Also noticed the bolts themselves, which the owner had taken the time to treat, were a bit oversize.
• Using a slightly larger drill bit, the body holes were then widened to make sure the bolts wouldn’t bind.
• Checked the truss rod adjuster for smoothness and operation, then tightened it using moderate pressure – just enough to feel positive friction.
• Installed 2 neck bolts temporarily, just enough to bite and stabilize to get things started.
• Measured combined body & neck bolt depth.
• Marked that depth on drill bit with tape.
• Primed the remaining 2 holes by pre-drilling.
• Applied wax to the bolts to help them seat and seal.
• Installed the 2 remaining bolts with firm pressure.
• Removed first 2 bolts and primed those holes.
• NOTE: The last 2 bolts will not be reinstalled until later on to allow for adjustments without compromise.

Prepping the Spring Cavity

Before we move forward, we need the bridge in place to check neck alignment. And before we can install the bridge, we need to turn our attention to the spring cavity.

Because the spring cavity on this body is raw with no holes pre-drilled, we’ll first align then instal the claw plate:

• Marked out the claw plate screw positions using the plate centred to the back wall of the cavity.
• Used a 1/8″ aircraft bit marked to depth to drill out screw the holes.
• Waxed the screws and installed the claw plate.
• Checked for overall alignment – good to go!

Aligning the Neck

Moving back to the business side of our SRV Stratocaster, time to finish getting the neck properly situated:

• Temporarily installed the bridge using the outer two bridge plate screws. The bridge on this instrument will ultimately be set up non-floating or hard-tailed as per the client’s preference.
• Installed one trem spring in the back to keep the bridge flush to the body.
• Checked the neck for general alignment:
• Tied a piece of thin white string to the third tuner and stretched it over the centre of the bridge (exactly between the third and fourth saddles) to simulate string height and check lateral neck alignment.
• String height checked good.
• Lateral position checked good.

NOTE: If there’s any sloppiness in the neck joint that will affect this geometry, the extra pressure from installing the last 2 screws will tell the tale.

TIP: You can set the bridge plate screw depth by turning the screw in to the point where the back edge of the bridge plate just comes off the body. Then back the screw off 1/4 turn.

• Double checked the neck bolts to make sure they were tight and that the neck was seated firmly in the pocket. Things can change very quickly once the last two bolts and string compression come into play.
• Rough cut and dry-fitted a bone nut blank to help with scale length and intonation measurements.

• Double checked that the scale length was in the ball park by measuring from the forward face of the nut to the crown of the leading edge of the third string saddle. The third string saddle must be close to the midpoint of adjustment capability (intonation screw travel) in order to continue. If not, there are serious underlying issues which will require corrective action.
• Scale length and adjustability checked good!
• Rough set the intonation using a predicted scale length of 25 9/16″ for the B string and 25 5/8″ for the A string. These preliminary compensations are a matter of experience. See the Electric Guitar Intonation Pattern reference diagram below. The fourth and sixth strings will relate to the A string setting, the third and first strings will likewise relate to the B string setting. Keep in mind we are simply trying to get in the ball park to minimize adjustments later on.
• Glued the nut using a couple small dabs of carpenter’s glue in the slot.
• Applied an adjustable Shubb capo using light pressure on the nut for one hour.

NOTE: The nut blank was previously fitted to match perfectly flush with the sides of the neck before it was glued in. Personally, I prefer to commit to a set nut early on. This forces me to be hyper-focused on slot cutting and finishing processes. Not for the squeamish for sure, but that’s the benefit of experience.

Installing the Electronics

First job is to take stock of the electronics components, their layout, and develope a plan for installation.

The Klein pickups were already clearly marked for their respective positions: neck, mid, and bridge (nice!). Plus the leads were nicely trimmed for length.

After a little more deliberation, I proceeded as follows:

• Installed the pickups starting with the neck position.
• Installed the pre-wired controls hand tight.
• Seated the jack in the jackplate making sure it was tight and oriented properly so as not to bind in the cavity or ground out.
• Checked the jack and electronics for function:
• Once the jackplate was screwed to the body, I plugged it into a my test amp and quickly checked that the electronics were indeed working by lightly tapping on each pickup and going through the controls
• Installed the pick guard temporarily using a screw in each corner to hold it in place

At this point the electronics are essentially done. Still, I would rather only have to remove four screws, rather than the full monty, should there be a problem later on.

Knowing the controls are working properly, I used an open end wrench to tighten up the outer pot nuts.

TIP: Tightening the nuts should be one of the last things you do when installing the electronics (other than pick guard screws and knobs). If the nuts are torqued down prematurely, heat from soldering can expand the the pots thus loosening them up.

Prepping the Nut

• Marked the string slots on the nut starting with the outer strings (1 + 6) about 1/8″ inch in from the edge of the fretboard, then eyeballed the rest. There’s no trick to this as the human eye is remarkable at picking up discrepancies – either the spacing looks even, or it doesn’t. The nut also has excess height material to work with so I can “walk” the strings into position if I need to.
• Rough cut (notched) the nut slots just deep enough to hold a string in place. At this point, I’m more concerned with having a rudimentary carrier for the strings more than anything else.

Installing the Strings

• Installed the remaining four bridge plate screws to finish up the bridge installation.
• Installed the strings and snugged them up but NOT TO PITCH! That comes later.

TIP: Improve the angle over the nut by adding a little extra wrap. Because this instrument only has one string tree for the first and second strings, a little extra string length was added to the 5th, 4th, and 3rd strings to wrap around the posts. Specifically:

5th + 1/8″

4th + 1/4″

3rd + 3/8″

The extra wraps increase the angle over the nut which reduces string chatter and improves tone.

• Chances are very good that the strings won’t have to be removed entirely so the tag ends were cut off.
• Tweaked the string spaces on the nut slightly to make sure they looked even and were directly in line with the tuners.
• Taking a visual note from an original photo, marked the string tree position with an awl.
• Drilled a 5/64″ pilot hole 3/8″ deep and installed the string tree

Preliminary Bridge Adjustment:

• Took note of string height around the fifteenth fret area.
• Adjusted the treble side to the width of a nickel – .077′′ or 1.95mm.
• Adjusted the bass side the width of two dimes – .1′′ or 2.7mm.
• The remaining saddles were then adjusted to match this custom SRV Number One’s twelve inch fretboard radius.

Cutting the Nut

• Cut the string slots to near final depth. The actual final cuts will be made when the strings are at pitch and the neck is under full compression.
• Dressed out the nut by removing excess top material, chamfering the sharp edges, and removing tool marks using fine files. The fine files are a matter of preference as they tend to provide a more positive feel compared to sandpaper. The nut will also be left with a slightly rougher finish to match the aesthetic of the guitar.

Setting the Action

With all the handling, it was time to double check the general condition of the instrument:

• Checked neck condition and lateral alignment – good.
• Checked string tension – just snug – good.
• Checked string height – good. Well within saddle height adjustability – not too high or too low.

With the checkup out of the way, on to setting up the action:

• Installed two more trem springs, for a total of three, to make sure the bridge wouldn’t lift.
• Tuned the guitar up to one tone below A440

Because these strings are 11’s they’ll have a good bit of pressure. Better to apply compression gradually, checking relief and action along the way.

At one tone down, we have very slight relief as measured using the third string between the second and seventeenth frets.

The strings are starting to feel a little “mushy” along the neck. This is normal – as compression takes effect, the geometry of the setup will change and the guitar will feel different. Learn to anticipate this!

The bridge is still flush with the body but I know three springs will not keep it in place as we move forward.

• Installed the remaining two trem springs.
• Set the claw plate 1/2″  back from the rear wall of the spring cavity.
• Lowered the saddles just a touch, about one full turn per grub screw, to anticipate the increase in string height as pressure increases.
• Checked the string height at the nut. The little bit of relief made a big difference in slot depth. The strings are riding higher at headstock which is influencing the overall feel. This is entirely expected and part of the reason we approach a new setup in stages rather than committing to final adjustments early on.
• Relief looks like it’s very close to the sweet spot, but more on the straighter side. With the strings sitting proud at the nut, the slots were recut to keep the action feeling as normal as possible.
• Finally brought the guitar up to pitch and plugged it in to check operation.

Checking the Electronics

To test the SRV Strat’s electronics, my highly modified Traynor YSR-1 amp was set on “shiny dirty”. A little bit of gain helps to get a handle on the dynamics of the controls and output of the pickups.

Working through the controls, the trick is to be objective, taking stock of visual cues and sonic deficiencies.

• Everything works but the pickups are set too low, output seems a bit light.
• Raised the pickups to about an eighth away from the strings and checked again.
• Output is waaaaay better, much more lively. The guitar’s output is dynamic and sounds like what it’s supposed to sound like, but it is horribly out of tune. Again this is a byproduct of intention as the strings have not been stretched in order to maximize their playable potential.

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Setting the Intonation

Re-tuning the guitar up to pitch, time to check the relief again, and it looks perfect!

Since I’m happy with the overall setup at this point, I gave the strings one good stretch to help them settle in and prep for intonation. If the strings are not seated at least once, they’ll be too elastic to give you stable readings, and eventually drive you mad!

For a more detailed look at setting up guitar intonation, check out this article: How to Set Up A Guitar

• Double checking the overall action again, the nut slot depth is holding it’s own, string height is good, relief is good, and the guitar feels great.
• Each string was checked for intonation across the scale length.
• The intonation process basically involves using a fretted note near the headstock end of the neck, and cross referencing that note with it’s octave counterpart closer to the body in the upper register. The two notes must read exactly the same on the meter. If there is a discrepancy, such as the upper register reading sharp, the string needs to be lengthened to compensate. The reverse is true should the note read flat. Compensation is achieved by adjusting the string’s intonation screw.
• While checking intonation points, the A, D, G, and B strings were found to be spot on. only two strings were off-tolerance. The hi E was a tad sharp in the upper register, and the low E was a few cents flat in the upper range as well.
• After adjusting the offending strings, intonation for the entire instrument was double checked for accuracy.
• Results? Good to go.

Final Adjustments

Electronics:

Time to give a good listen and get a sense of what our custom Stevie Ray Vaughan Number One reproduction was capable of sonically:

• First impressions of tone – really good.
• 2nd and 4th positions sound killer.
• The Klein pickups are very sensitive to gain, very dynamic in a good way.
• The bridge pickup comes to life with great presence and body, but the neck gets a little muddy at full tilt. By backing off the gain at the amp a little bit, it was easy to find a sweet spot where everything worked in harmony.

At this point the guitar is virtually done. But I’ll go around and check the screws etc, and let it sit for a day to let pressure and compression set in.

Note there are still only two neck bolts in place – for good reason. Should things go sideways for whatever reason (Murphy’s Law), I want to be able to expedite disassembly to make corrective adjustments.

Remaining Work:

• Check action for integrity.
• Check the nut for final depth and apply some lubricant if it’s set.
• Instal the remaining neck bolts if everything is ok.
• Give the strings their final stretch.
• Take the guitar for a test drive :)

The next day I noticed compression has impacted the setup a little, not much, but enough to warrant removing the neck and make a truss rod adjustment.

TIP: Use a capo over the nut to keep the strings corralled when you need to make adjustments like this.

After removing the neck, I snugged up the truss rod about a quarter turn and felt the adjuster engage a bit better as it seated.

NOTE: Assuming an instrument reasonably well made from quality materials, a simple truss rod adjustment may only impart about 85% to 90% of the desired effect. That is to say, you may not see the full effect of an adjustment right away. It may take many hours, a day or two, or even weeks before the neck is fully influenced. Keeping this in mind, try to anticipate this extra movement by being a little conservative in your approach.

• Reattached the neck and installed all four neck bolts. As mentioned previously, this is a moment of truth. Any sketchiness in the marriage between the neck and the body will become evident once the pressure of all four bolts is in place.
• Tuned the guitar up to pitch, checked the alignment and general action again. Everything was spot on.
• Gave the strings a good stretch and checked the setup again – still good.
• Checked the nut for slot depth and operation. There was a little sizzle in the fourth string at the nut which required a little back cut to remove.
• Checked the nut operation again which was good to go, and applied a little lube to finish it up.

Test Drive & Soundcheck!

The final play and sound check was very rewarding and a lot of fun. The instrument was responsive, easy to manipulate and felt very solid.

Watch the Stevie Ray Vaughan Number One Strat Soundcheck Video!

When I shared my opinion about the final result with the client, he informed me that he had made it a point of buying high quality parts specifically for this build. In doing so, his decision had ultimately paid off in spades!

Overall, the freshly minted SRV Number One Stratocaster replica sounded and played fantastic!

In Conclusion

Assembling a guitar from scratch, whether for yourself or someone else, is an awesomely rewarding experience. Putting together an instrument that honours one of greatest instruments and iconic players of all time is doubly so!

Though this build was dedicated to one guitar in particular, it should serve well as a compass for assembling a Stratocaster style instrument of any pedigree. For you dedicated Telecaster style guitar lovers out there, you may also like: How to Build a Jeff Beck Inspired ’54 Esquire Custom Guitar

I hope you enjoyed this article, and perhaps picked up a nugget or two of knowledge along the way.

Cheers!

Steve B.

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P.S. If you’re a Stevie Ray Vaughan fan, or love his prized Number One Stratocaster, you gotta have this t-shirt! The perfect tribute to one of the greatest blues guitar players to ever grace the planet. Also makes an excellent gift! Order One Today!

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