Epiphone Les Paul custom pro (Tuxedo)

The Epiphone Les Paul custom pro is a mid-range Les paul model produced by the baby brother company of Gibson. It will cost between £300 and £500 depending where you go and what additional extras you choose to purchase or not. The classic Gibson Les Paul throughout history has rivaled the Fender Stratocaster and telecaster as the king of rock's guitars and this mid-range budget version allows for a newer musician to experience a taste of the sheer power and depth of sound that a pedigree Gibson Les Paul can produce.

Sound

The custom pro is capable of producing a rich and deep sound much like that of the blue-blooded version of itself. The 2 humbucker pickups allow for a deep and distinctive resonance and the perfect sound for blues or rock. The custom pro comes with the classic Gibson/Epiphone 3 way switch with the options of "treble", "neutral", and "rhythm" which gives scope for the guitarist to set the instrument to their own preference. There are a further 4 dials which control the volume, tone and activate their respective pickup. 

Design

The Custom pro has the almost identical design to the original model played by the likes of Slash, Jimmy Page, and Randy Rhoads. The most practical aspect of the Les Paul design (which is not new to this version of the model) is the cutaway on the underside of the neck for the fretting hand of the player. This makes it easier to hit that ever important E and E flat pentatonic scale that all blues and rock players should be aiming for.Furthermore, the custom pro has the jack socket at the bottom side of the body when it is worn. This increases the versatility and aids in elongating the life of the jack lead with the angle preserving the wiring inside.

In Summary, the Epiphone Les Paul custom pro is an excellent stand in for the full Gibson version. Its price is reasonable for its ability and the company is well respected and legendary in itself despite being in the shadow of its big brother, Gibson, for much of its life. I would place this in the same category as the Squier/Mexican stratocaster for performance and value for money. A friend of mine recently purchased this guitar and I own a mid-range stratocaster so I have the ability to weigh them up against each other. Both are very much worth the investment and I would recommend the Custom Pro.

*All images sourced from Google images. I do not claim to own any rights   

Fender 310-12 (Acoustic 12 string review)

The 310-12 is a 12 string acoustic guitar made by Fender. It is an older model of an acoustic 12 string, one of my dad's collection,  and one of only a few that Fender are known for. They are sold from new for anywhere from £200 all the way up to £400 online. They are a mid-range 12 string and produced by the ever-reliable Fender.

Sound
The 310-12 produces a clean and very bright sound. It gives the tone of similar style to folk music and sounds far fuller than even the best 6 string acoustics such as the likes of the Gibson J200 and the Tanglewood TW460. This is of course due to the 12 strings rather than the standard 6 and thus double the resonation. Furthermore, the harmonies that are produced by each pair of strings (which are an octave apart on the first 4 strings and in unison on the highest 2 strings) are far more diverse than than that of a standard 6 string acoustic guitar.

Design

The 310-12 is not a particularly unique looking guitar. It has 12 tuning keys, a scratch plate, a bridge, and a nut the same as any other 12 string. The body is the classic hourglass acoustic shape but is of course a little larger than any 6 string. The only downfall of the 12 string design is that it would be far harder for any beginner to play than a 12 string due to double the resistance in the fretting and also the far wider neck than standard on any Fender.

Overall, the 310-12 is a well rounded and excellent 12 string which would suit intermediate players and even professional guitarists but is not appropriate for beginners.