Epiphone Inspired By Gibson Custom: 1959 Les Paul Standard, Les Paul Custom, 1959 ES-355 & SG Custom

Allright, I’m getting some serious GAS (you know… guitar acquisition syndrome) here. Epiphone just presented a whole bunch of new guitars made in collaboration with Gibson Custom: 1959 Les Paul Standard, Les Paul Custom, 1963 Les Paul SG Custom with Maestro vibrola and the semi-hollow classic 1959 ES-355.

The kicker? All these Epiphones come with the classic Gibson “open book” headstock shape as well as Gibson USA pickups.

The vintage classic 1959 Les Paul Standard comes in four variants: Factory Burst, Iced Tea Burst, Tobacco Burst and Washed Cherry Sunburst (the latter marked as ‘exclusive’). Mahogany bodies, triple AAA flame maple veneers with VOS finish (Vintage Original Sheen), one-piece mahogany necks with a rounded medium C profile, long neck tenon and Gibson’s open book headstock shape. Hardware-wise you get Gibson Custombucker pickups, Epiphone Deluxe Vintage tuners, Switchcraft selector switch, 50’s era wiring and a vintage-style brown hardshell case with pink interior.

The Epiphone Inspired By Gibson Custom Les Paul Custom comes in the classic Alpine White and Ebony finishes, also rocking one-piece mahogany necks (50s rounded C profile), ebony fretboard with mother-of-pearl block inlays (as well as mother-of-pearl in the split diamond and logo in the Gibson open book headstock). All gold hardware (Grover Rotomatic tuners, Gibson USA 490R and Gibson USA 498T pickups). There’s a “Inspired by Gibson Custom” double diamond logo on the back of the headstock and you’ll get a black hardshell case with goldenrod (think “luxurious yellow”) interior and that same logo printed on it. Looks absolutely amazing.

The Epiphone Inspired By Gibson Custom 1959 ES-355 looks equally stunning, available in cherry red, classic white and the more exclusive VOS (Vintage Original Sheen) Ebony. You get a 5-ply layered maple and poplar body, solid maple centerblock, one-piece mahogany neck (50s rounded medium C profile), ebony fretboard with mother-of-pearl block inlays and of course the Gibson-style open book headstock shape with both the split diamond and epiphone logo in mother-of-pearl as well. Hardware-wise there’s gold Grover Rotomatic tuners and golden Gibson Custombuckers. The included hardshell case features the Inspired by Gibson Custom logo and comes in brown with pink interior.

Last but not least, the Epiphone Inspired By Gibson Custom 1963 Les Paul SG with Maestro Vibrola. Personally not a big fan of vibrolas but to each their own, this triple-humbucker beauty will only be available in classic white (VOS finish, Vintage Original Sheen). Just like the others you get a one-piece long neck tenon mahogany neck but with a SlimTaper profile, bound ebony fretboard with mother-of-pearl block inlays as well as the Custom split diamond and Epiphone logo on the Gibson open book style headstock in mother-of-pearl. Hardware-wise: besides the golden Maestro Vibrola you get three golden Gibson USA Custombucker pickups, Switchcraft pickup selector and golden 18:1 Grover Rotomatic tuners. The included hardshell case comes in black with goldenrod interior.

Buy Epiphone Inspired By Gibson Custom at Thomann
Buy Epiphone Inspired By Gibson Custom at Sweetwater