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Hi everyone,
I always loved a good tele. It’s my main guitar. However, I’ve always loved Gibson Les Paul’s. Heck, it’s the thing that pulled me into the guitar world (think: Slash rocking THE solo in front of a church in the middle of nowhere).
Long story short, I’m on the lookout for a Les Paul type guitar. I won’t be a Gibson. I don’t like the low-end range models and the ones I do like are outside my (self-imposed) budget limit.
What would you recommend as an alternative? I’m not a brand snob. What the headstock says has relatively low value for me. I’ve heard that there are good Japanese Les Paul copies. Even the latest reviews on some of the Harley Benton models are tempting 🙂
All ideas are welcome. Thanks!
Trust the process.
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Not knowing your budget, it’s impossible to say.
10 Best Les Paul Style Guitars & Copies in 2026 (All Price Ranges)
Go slow and practice correct technique, and your abilities will dramatically improve.
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Check through this thread on Reddit and see if it will futher your end goal of finding the diamond in the ruff.
Go slow and practice correct technique, and your abilities will dramatically improve.
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I’m speaking only from what I’ve read in reviews. Living where I do, it would be a 2 HR drive to a decent music store
Epiphone – I have 2: 1 is an older model made in Korea. The Korean made has the rep of being better quality than the newer ones. Is that true? Who knows??
I also have an Epi Lazarus Joe Bonamassa LP and it is a step above the Korean model that I have. My only complaint is that the pickups aren’t wax potted and if you happen to hit the cover with your pick, its transmitted into the ampAria Pro II – I took one in on trade, its probably from the late 80s or early 90s. Well made with a great neck. Some made by Aria Pro II are heavy so ask for the weight if to are looking at their guitars online
Vintage V100 – available on Reverb and may be available in the UK. These guitars were designed by Trev Wilkinson designer of Wilkinson pickups
Vintage recently announced that they were closing their doors soon.Cort CR250 – also available on Reverb. The Cort factory builds copies for a large number of companies and well known for their quality
Hope that helps
Keith
aka GnLguy -
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Back in 2020 Epiphone launched their “inspired by Gibson” range and got good reviews. I tried a LP in a tea burst at a local store and was impressed by how it looked, played and sounded.
There’s probably many used examples around to have a look at, though likely to be nearer the top end of your budget.
Whatever you end up with, enjoy the hunt👍 -
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You commented on my Revstar in a different reply but figured I’d respond here. The Revstar isn’t exactly an LP copy, but it’s fairly close, although is probably more comfortable with the back body contour and weight difference. I’ve got the RSS20, which is the humbucker model (they also have a P90 version). All my other guitars are single-coils so I wanted something different and am so happy I bought it. I found a used demo/floor model from a shop in TN on Reverb and it still had the plastic on it so it was basically brand new. The stainless steel frets are really nice and it’s just such a well-made guitar. Can’t say enough good things about it. Hit me up if you want any more details.
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Hey again,
Till the friend request gets through and we can maybe chat in private messages, I’ll leave this here.
For my next guitar purchase, I narrowed it down to either Revstar RSS20 (same as yours, only the new Mist Green color) or PRS SE McCarty 594 Singlecut.
Both very different, but similarly priced. One thig I see equally in both is the modern approach to the design and manufacturing. They pay homage to classics but in their own way.
My main dilemma regarding the PRS is the “Pattern vintage” neck profile. It’s chunky. Significantly more than my modern C telecaster or let’s say the PRS S2 Singlecut I recently had on loan and used for a challenge here.I’m in a very difficult predicament deciding which one to order. Any additional insights about the Revstar? I read several complaints in other forums about bad nuts and other minor issues. Did you have to address anything like that with yours?
Cheers!
Trust the process.
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You commented on my Revstar in a different reply but figured I’d respond here. The Revstar isn’t exactly an LP copy, but it’s fairly close, although is probably more comfortable with the back body contour and weight difference. I’ve got the RSS20, which is the humbucker model (they also have a P90 version). All my other guitars are single-coils so I wanted something different and am so happy I bought it. I found a used demo/floor model from a shop in TN on Reverb and it still had the plastic on it so it was basically brand new. The stainless steel frets are really nice and it’s just such a well-made guitar. Can’t say enough good things about it. Hit me up if you want any more details.
I had a chance to play one in my local Yamaha store. What you said about it not being a LP but close is exactly where my dilemma is originating.
I’ve been wanting a LP since I can remember but I’ve also seen what the Revstar can do (in the hands of Chris Buck for example).
Trust the process.
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I think the Studio version of the Les Paul may be an option to consider. I believe going for the 60’s style neck as opposed to the 50’s style neck will get you away from the baseball bat style neck. I share this post for your consideration.
I personally own a 2017 Les Paul Traditional HP which has a 60’s style neck but slightly wider fretboard. I enjoy the tones I can get and recently posted a video demonstrating them here:
LesPaul tones with new dynacomp compression pedal and Tonexone pedal.
I also own a PRS Modern Eagle V and I previously owned a PRS McCarty 594. I love both guitars but neither gave me the sizzle of a Les Paul. I think it has it’s own thing going.
I am not a professional player but I think to get Les Paul Tones, you have to get a Les Paul
Stacey
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Thanks for sharing Stacey. I just finished watching your tones video. Great stuff! Really impressive.
Don’t get me wrong, I love Gibson. Better said, I love what Gibson and Les Paul in particular mean in the world of guitars and music. I love it so much I have a Les Paul headstock tattoo 🙂
However, I’d never buy a Gibson Les Paul so long as budget is a significant factor in my decision making. If that wasn’t a factor I’d probably own a custom shop by now :). My issue is with the overall decline of their quality while prices continue to go up. Also, the whole traditionalism thing. I can’t really get it why aren’t they fixing the neck/headstock weakness and breaking issue. It’s not that they don’t know what needs to be done, they just refuse to do it from purist reasons.
Since I first wrote this post, I bashed my head significantly with various options. Some of them were: FGN Neo Classic Single Cuts (various models), Tokai Les Paul, Fender Special Edition FMT Telecaster, PRS SE McCarty 594 Single Cut, PRS S2 Single Cut, Harley Benton SC-550-II, Harley Benton Agufish signature, Yamaha Revstar RSS20 etc.
The list continues but I vibed the most with the Yamaha Revstar. It’s a modern take on traditional sound. Really love it. I haven’t bitten the bullet yet, but it’s likely that this it will the one (as in the image).
Trust the process.
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I hope you land on the guitar that feels “right” for you. Bonding with a guitar is a wonderful process. I didn’t bond with my Les Paul at first. I didn’t know how to get tones from it. It seemed to produce weak and underwhelming sounds. I have found that it really helps to push it with compression and some overdrive to achieve more satisfying tones. I have several other electric guitars. They each have their own personality and require different things to coax desirable sounds from them. Seems to be a process of trial and error and time spent exploring what is possible. I haven’t played a Revstar but I see it has dual humbuckers and the possibility of getting a split or single coil tone. For whatever it’s worth, if you are trying to get close to the Les Paul thing, but from a different manufacturer to fix the headstock breakage issue, the essential characteristics are a mahogany body with maple cap, dual humbuckers and 2 volume and 2 tone pots. It is fun and adds variety if you can split the humbuckers into single coils to give added variety of tones. Of the guitars you listed, I think the PRS McCarty 594 singlecut gets you closest to the Les Paul vibe.
They have the SE model which I believe would play well for you. I owned the PRS McCarty 594 and loved it. It didn’t sound quite like my Les Paul but was a very nice guitar to play. I sold it and bought a PRS Modern Eagle V which has dual humbuckers which split to single coil but also adds a middle single coil pickup to achieve strat like tones as well. I really like the option of achieving a variety of tones with a single guitar. I reviewed your favorite guitar players and they cover a lot of ground from Blues to hard rock, strat players and Les Paul players. I am not a professional player but I have spent some time exploring tones. The guitar shopping journey is an exciting one. I wish you the best as you pursue the guitar of your dreams.Stacey
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