New Alex signature Epiphone Access Les Paul Custom

[1-0-0-1-0-0-1]

 

 

https://www.epiphone.com/en-US/Electric-Guitar/Alex-Lifeson-Les-Paul-Custom-Axcess/Ruby

[treeduck]

I hope he's going to record a high energy, powerhouse solo album with it.

[zepphead]

6 hours ago, treeduck said:

I hope he's going to record a high energy, powerhouse solo album with it.

Yeah.....  On the Geddy & Alex Band debut album. 

[PW_Guitarist]

I picked up one of these on a bit of a whim and was happy with the decision. Here is a detailed review I posted in another forum, prices in Canadian dollars. 

_________________________________________

Buckle up, this is a long one...

Believe it or not, I initially didn't really want to buy this guitar (yeah, we all said that before). Despite being an unabashed fanboi, I wouldn't go buy any guitar just because it has Lifeson's name on it. I passed on the initial Epiphone Axcess in Viceroy Brown despite it's great $1199 price point and features, because I think putting a Floyd Rose on a Les Paul (even an Epiphone) should be some sort of punishable offense, and also because I did not like having to put a battery in it for the piezo (we use old-school walk-up acoustics on stage). The deciding factor was the fact that the run was so limited and discontinued so quickly, it was almost impossible to get one, which drove the used market on these at an overpriced premium. Hard pass for me.

Now Epiphone came back with a similarly-inspired model, but with upgraded Custom cosmetic features. No batteries or piezo, same pickups but gold hardware and Floyd-branded trem, Custom binding on body and neck, "Ebony" fretboard with block inlays, a gorgeous ruby red finish and a real solid hardshell case, at a higher price point than the original offering ($1849) but still thousands under the price of a real Gibson. I saw the specs along with some review videos, and given that there was one available in my neck of the woods, I decided to take the plunge. It usually takes me months to make a final verdict on a guitar (after several rehearsals and hopefully a few shows) but I thought I would share my initial impressions, which are actually quite good.

Fit and Finish:
The instrument is made in China but inspected and setup in the US. Epiphone has come a long way in my view. The only other Epiphone I have to compare is a 1997 Doubleneck from the Unsung factory in Korea. Fit and finish are outstanding. I have not played a lot of Epiphones but this one feels like it is at the top of the heap. I am a sucker for a guitar with good looks, and this one delivers. Setup was a bit high and was done for 10-46, which is the standard these days. I'm leaving it as is for now but will eventually go to 9-42s.

Body and neck
Fretboard is a bit of a disappointment as it says "Ebony" but does not look or feel like real ebony to me. It does have a darker, smooth and tight grain but not comparable to the grade of ebony you see on a real custom. Is this what they call Richlite? Not sure. Frets are medium jumbo so they felt smaller than what I am used to but they play fine. Top is a veneer and it does feel thinner than and actual Gibson LP top - you can see the difference at the neck joint (kind of like the lower carved top on PRS SE and S2 compared to Core models).

Hardware and electronics
Bridge is Probucker 3 at 8.60K, and neck is Ceramic Pro at 12.56K, both coil tapped, plus a phase switch on the bridge push/pull tone pot. These pickups have strong output and they sound great when they are distorted. They have a pretty good high-end response, which is indicative of Lifeson's preferred tone selections. Unlike my doubleneck, I would not bother changing the stock pickups on this guitar, they are fine as they are. There was a bit of sticky gunk leftover from the clear protection sticker on the neck pickup, I had to rub that out. Tremolo is legit Floyd Rose branded, not a licensed or the Graph Tech version in the original piezo model. Grover tuning heads are another nice upgrade. Knobs have that edged grip that makes pulling up easier than on a standard "witch hat" knob, but still I prefer a standard speed knob with a recess on the top, like PRS does. The pure white switch tip matching the binding is a nice touch.

Comfort and playability
I don't have a scale to accurately weigh it, but it feels heavy, around 9 pounds, about the same as my 73 Deluxe and lighter than a true Custom. The Axcess cut neck is really neat for upper-fret access, and the belly carve is a welcome feature for most middle-aged players. Neck carve is comfortable, feels thicker than my Deluxes but not as thick as my SG special. It is very comfortable guitar to play (for a LP). The sustain is impressive for a Floyd-Rose equipped guitar. I have one of the Signature super-strats that Lifeson used in the 80's, and I hate it - it is a complete sustain killer and I had to have the Floyd blocked to make it playable. This Epiphone has rehabilitated the Floyd Rose in my eyes in that it is not a sustain killer. This is a fun and resonant guitar to play, with a Floyd (and the usual challenges that this entails). One thing I don't like about Floyd's is they make bending harder since it tends to drag down the tremolo, and these are 10-46 strings. I'll see how it goes when I go to 9-42.

Price and value:
The price point is not as advantageous for this one as on the original Viceroy Brown issue, at an added $650 for cosmetic upgrades and no piezo, which was fine by me since I never liked piezo. Obviously the higher price point will improve availability, there are still plenty of these available. The original was probably set at too low a price point for all its features, which drove demand and used prices up. This one may actually help drive the prices and demand for the original model back down for those who prefer the original piezo model, but I am happy with this upgraded model.

Verdict: I need a lot more playing time on this guitar to make up my mind. I'll use it at the next rehearsal to run through the set and see how it does. I am still not sure if I would use it live against my personal favourite 1992 PRS CE24 workhorse. However, this is a beautiful and fun guitar to play and even if I don't end up using it live, it (so far) feels like a keeper. Lots of tonal possibilities in this, even without the piezo. The key driver making this a keeper is that it is the only floating Floyd-equipped guitar I ever had that I really enjoy playing - it has really changed my views on putting a Floyd on a Les Paul. I don't use the trem on the PRS because it does not stay in tune (despite PRS claims to the contrary), but this offers all the advantages of the Floyd with the tonal capabilities of the LP. Epiphone seems to have gotten this one right.

 

[hunter]

I like this one much more than the last one.