Epiphone Les Paul
Like Epiphone, Les Paul has made his mark in history as one of the greatest and most innovative guitarists of all time. His early experiments with the modification of acoustic guitars were to be the start of the modern day electric guitar.
Perhaps the most important of his early designs was the first in a series of guitars he affectionately calls "The Log." He built The Log on weekends in 1941 at the Epiphone factory in New York by attaching an Epiphone neck, fingerboard and body parts to a 4" x 4" board. He then "sandwiched" a couple of Epiphone guitar body halves, or "wings" to the solid center block.
Soon after, Les bought another Epiphone along with an Epiphone amp from a guitarist who'd mangled his hand in a bread wrapping machine and couldn't play anymore. "I chopped that one up, re-braced its hollow body with a 3/8" steel bar, and wound my own super-hot pickups for it," Les say. He sometimes refers to this one as "The Clunker," or the "Breadwrapper Epiphone."
While in Chicago, Les took The Log to Chicago Musical Instruments Company, which owned Gibson Guitars, and showed it to CMI President M.H. Berlin. Mr. Berlin was not much interested in his "broomstick with pickups" and Les was politely shown the door. However, Les kept working on his designs and eventually, Gibson became interested in his work. In 1952, the first Les Paul solid body electric was produced and music history was made.
Epiphone Les Paul Models
- Les Paul Classic
- Les Paul Custom
- Les Paul Goldtop
- Les Paul Standard
- Les Paul Special Double Cutaway
- Les Paul Studio Standard
- LP-100 Studio