“If you’re all about getting as close as possible to period-correct as you can for this price point, then you won’t be disappointed here”: Epiphone Inspired By Gibson Custom 1960 Les Paul Standard Reissue review

What is it?

Buying a Gibson guitar is something many guitarists dream of, and we’re certainly not buying it with value for money in mind. It’s an aspirational buy, something you get because let’s face it, there’s nothing quite as compelling as a good Les Paul, and fewer things still are as intoxicating as a 1960s one.

Of course, nobody reading this is likely to be able to afford the real deal, but that doesn’t mean we can’t get our hands on some of that magic mojo without the bourgeois budget. As evidenced by the Epiphone 1960 Les Paul Standard Reissue that’s the subject of this review, it’s actually more accessible than it’s ever been.

Made in conjunction with Gibson Custom, all of the staple specifications that make this a great Les Paul are here, with a genuine mahogany body and maple cap with AAA flamed maple veneer. The single ply cream binding lines the body, matching the pickguard and humbucker rings for a classic look.

The neck is a single piece of mahogany, with a long neck tenon for increased sustain, a characteristic of older LP and SG-type guitars. It features a rosewood fretboard with mother-of-pearl trapezoid inlays, and a SlimTaper neck profile typical of 60s Les Pauls. As with many of the new Epiphones, it also features the Gibson-style ‘open-book’ headstock design, further adding to its retro-LP credentials.