Epiphone Les Paul Custom Arctic White

[toomanycats]

I brought this Epi home the other day, actually on the same day and from the same seller from whom I scored the $30 Ktaxon HH strat I recently posted about. I've always wanted a white LP Custom, though I was going to walk away until the seller went all the way down to an offer of $285. I knew I was stealing it at that price and couldn't resist.

This guitar is a 2023 and is in mint condition. There's really not much to say. It is visually stunning, plays as good if not better than my three Gibson Les Pauls, and sounds phenomenal with the Probucker 2 and 3 pickups.

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[Tonray's Ghost]

Nice..I'm not really a fan of LPs but I like the Custom models best. Tokai has a yellow Custom version that I might eventually pick up..it's stunning in person, something about that extra depth that just does it.

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[dabbler]

Congrats!

I'm not a BIG fan of LPs (yes, I'm serious), but I can't pass up a good deal!

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[glasshand]

Really nice! I always thought white was the best color for those Customs. And $285 is a hell of a steal. I feel like I usually see them go for about $500 (or more).

[uwmcscott]

Nice score. From an aesthetic standpoint, I really like that newer Epi headstock on the LP's vs the old boat paddle design.

[Tiga]

I love white custom LP's. What a deal!!

[toomanycats]

Nice score. From an aesthetic standpoint, I really like that newer Epi headstock on the LP's vs the old boat paddle design.

I agree about the new headstock.

I didn't realize until after buying this one and doing some research that Epiphone also offers a LP Custom with an authentic Gibson open book headstock, though it is priced $500 more than my model. Granted, it also comes with a pair of Gibson USA 490R and 498T pickups. Personally, I don't care for those pickups (too modern sounding to my ears), love the Probuckers, and find the Epi headstock on mine a tasteful nod to Gibson without ostentatiously pretending be what it actually is not. After all, there's no shame in owning and playing an Epiphone.

[uwmcscott]

I agree about the new headstock.

I didn't realize until after buying this one and doing some research that Epiphone also offers a LP Custom with an authentic Gibson open book headstock, though it is priced $500 more than my model. Granted, it also comes with a pair of Gibson USA 490R and 498T pickups. Personally, I don't care for those pickups (too modern sounding to my ears), love the Probuckers, and find the Epi headstock on mine a tasteful nod to Gibson without ostentatiously pretending be what it actually is not. After all, there's no shame in owning and playing an Epiphone.

Yes, I have seen those "authentic" Epi's and also agree that they are kind of pretending to be what they are not. And pricewise the MSRP is close to the territory of just buying used Gibson anyway. There's nothing wrong with doing what you are good at ( affordable, very usable guitars ). GIbson tried the reverse by releasing the tribute series and other stripped down/low cost versions and while they were not bad guitars, they didn't really fit what Gibson is well known for either.

[sabasgr68]

Nice score, John! Congrats!

Those Customs would be nicer - for me, at least - in Tobacco or any other warm color, not only black or white. IMHO. Love the first fret inlay!

Enjoy it!

[BatUtilityBelt]

Hmm. I have an older Epi LPC that doesn't get much play because its pickups are meh. Now I wonder if it might like a set of Probuckers.

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[sabasgr68]

Hmm. I have an older Epi LPC that doesn't get much play because its pickups are meh. Now I wonder if it might like a set of Probuckers.
EpiphoneInCase.jpg

Who are you trying to fool? I'm sure you'll post a "rebirth" guitar day with some Probuckers in that LPC by the end of the month! You know you'll going to like them!

I'll wait for it

[mozz]

"I've always wanted a white LP Custom"

My thought is the same, though doesn't even have to be a custom, Gibson studio would do (with ebony board). Tempted to check out the Epi's white studio.

[toomanycats]

Hmm. I have an older Epi LPC that doesn't get much play because its pickups are meh. Now I wonder if it might like a set of Probuckers.
EpiphoneInCase.jpg

I too have a black Epiphone LP Custom of 2008 manufacture. I've come to believe it's kinda an oddball, being one of only a few I've ever seen manufactured in Indonesia. The stock pickups were the notorious 57CH(G) "waxbuckers" and I struggled mightily with them, as the video below demonstrates. I ended up removing the covers completely, de-waxing them, and installing A4 magnets. They currently reside in a Univox black LP Custom (GIMMEE) and after all those changes sound pretty darn good paired up with that plywood, bolt on neck, MIJ, 1970s lawsuit guitar. Meanwhile, the 2008 black Epi LP Custom got a pair of Giovanni GVH-2, which are really nice sounding A3 humbuckers.



But regarding the Probuckers, I first heard them and was impressed when a few years back I bought a set from @tobijohn that he had ripped out of something. If you like Gibson Burstbuckers, then you'll like the Probuckers. Gibson Burstbucker 1,2, and 3 correspond to Probucker 1, 2, and 3, getting slightly hotter as they go, though still very much in the PAF range with A2 magnets.

Perhaps this long winded explanation of my dicking around with stock pickups, swapping magnets, and buying aftermarket parts can serve to underscore one important point about the current Epiphone Les Paul Customs: YOU DON'T NEED TO CHANGE ANYTHING, NOTHING, NADA! This guitar is good to go in every way, from hardware, to wiring, to pickups.

[BatUtilityBelt]

I too have a black Epiphone LP Custom of 2008 manufacture. I've come to believe it's kinda an oddball, being one of only a few I've ever seen manufactured in Indonesia.

I thought it sounded just right for Mississippi Queen, good stuff. But yeah, my Epi LPC is a 2006 made in China IIRC. I only grabbed it because I was buying an Ibanez pre-lawsuit Custom and the guy gave me a price I felt guilty about accepting, so I also took the Epi. I think I need to play that Ibby sometime this weekend. I'll look into the GVH-2s, I tend to like A3 humbuckers.

Edit: I just played the Epi Custom, adjusted the bridge height and the pickup heights, and it's just fine as-is. Go figure.

[peskypesky1]

white Customs are probably my favorite Les Pauls
followed by classic sunburst

[tobijohn]

Hmm. I have an older Epi LPC that doesn't get much play because its pickups are meh. Now I wonder if it might like a set of Probuckers.
EpiphoneInCase.jpg

I've got the same from 2015 with the Probucker 2 and 3s. It also has coil-splitting and in/out phase options. I think all of this started when Gibson began using the Qingdao factory for all the Epi LPs (2012/2013?).

If you want to grab a set for your Custom, used Probucker sets are pretty easy to find for usually around $50. There are sellers in China offering new ones for not much more but there's also good chance they're counterfeit. To be safe, stick to pulls from domestic sellers.

[tobijohn]

...But regarding the Probuckers, I first heard them and was impressed when a few years back I bought a set from @tobijohn that he had ripped out of something. If you like Gibson Burstbuckers, then you'll like the Probuckers. Gibson Burstbucker 1,2, and 3 correspond to Probucker 1, 2, and 3, getting slightly hotter as they go, though still very much in the PAF range with A2 magnets...

That set was out of a Plus Top Pro, I already had the Probucker 2/3s in the Custom, so I put a set of the Alnico Cliassic Pros (A5s) in it.

I also subsequently bought three more sets of Probuckers for magnet swaps, I have Probuckers, Probucker minis, Alnico Classic Pros, Ceramic Plus and P90 Pros in other guitars and they're all great. I just bought a set of their Firebird minis that apparently are built the same as the original Gibson minis (see link below) and will most likely end up in a P90 Harm.

https://www.tdpri.com/threads/the-epiph ... r.1141131/

All of their current production pickups use quality components and are true to the originals which they're based on. Also, all of them can be found used for around $50 or less a set.