Epiphone Inspired by Gibson Custom 1960 Les Paul Special Review

If you’ve played any of the Epiphone Inspired by Gibson Custom (IGC) electric guitars released over the past couple of years, you already know how solid Epiphone’s higher-end import guitars can be. And it probably won’t be much of a spoiler to say right up front that this double-cut plank is another winner. As familiar and simple as this model will look to most, the full model name—the Epiphone Inspired By Gibson Custom 1960 Les Paul Special Double Cut Reissue—is a mouthful. But at heart it encapsulates so much of what made the original stripped-down, raw, P-90-fired take on the Les Paul so beloved by punk- and garage-rockers.Double IndemnityEpiphone IGC guitars differ from Epiphone’s Standard line instruments in several respects. Some changes are merely cosmetic, like the “open-book” headstock and a thin “vintage gloss” finish that better approximates a Gibson nitrocellulose finish. Other changes to the hardware—most notably the U.S.-made P-90s, 1-piece neck, and rosewood fretboard—are more substantial. But in each case, the IBCG instruments offer discernibly more Gibson aura.The Gibson Les Paul Special that inspired this model first appeared in 1958 when the double-cutaway shape was first introduced. The design changed slightly a year or so later when the neck pickup was moved further back to strengthen the neck joint. That change is represented here, though the “1960” designation takes some historical liberties: by 1960 the “Les Paul” name was dropped from the headstock when Paul stepped back from his Gibson endorsement deal.Quibbling details aside, the IGC 1960 Les Paul Special feels very much like a product of early-1960s guitar design and construction. It’s made with a slab-style, 2-piece mahogany body and glued-in mahogany neck, which is capped with a bound rosewood fingerboard with dot inlays, a 1 11/16' nut width, and 22 medium-jumbo frets. The Gibson-style headstock makes it hard to recognize as an Epiphone from most angles. And though I’ve never been a huge fan of Gibson’s SlimTaper neck profile, it faithfully represents the way Gibson was trending in 1960. Some fret ends here are just a tad snaggy—but all in all the guitar plays well, and makes a good impression for a sub-$1k reissue.As a Special, this Les Paul is loaded with a pair of single-coil P-90 soapbar pickups, which in this case are pulled straight from Gibson’s American factory stash. That means alnico bar magnets and coils wound to vintage-correct specifications. The rest of the wiring harness is also from U.S.-factory supplies and includes CTS potentiometers, “bumblebee” paper-in-oil tone caps, a Switchcraft 3-way toggle selector, and Switchcraft output jack. The hardware consists of a stud-mounted historical wraparound bridge and three-on-a-plate tuners with plastic buttons, which are essentially Kluson replicas.If the Epiphone IGC 1960 Les Paul Special Reissue isn’t quite up to the Gibson Custom Shop build quality, it’s still very well put-together. The mahogany, while not quite Custom Shop grade, still results in a reasonably light guitar at around 7.8 pounds. The finish used here is clearly of a different formulation than the nitro used on American models, and actually has a slightly hazy and satin-like sheen.True GritThis Epiphone delivers a major dose of what players love about a slab-bodied, dual-P-90 workhorse, all while displaying much of the character you’d expect from a more expensive guitar. Gibson’s P-90s have always acquitted themselves well, and loaded into this chassis they give you the fat single-coil bite, snarl, and granularity that make up this iconic pickup’s personality. For the record, I plugged into a Fender Bassman head and 2x12 cab, a Vox AC15 1x12 combo, and a Fractal FM9, and each pairing yielded fantastic tones.“Clean tones” are rarely all clean when a P-90 is involved, even when the pickup is of vintage-spec variety like these. That’s the case here too, unless you set the amp’s gain uber-low or dial the guitar volume way down—a trick well known by any habitual Special and Junior player who needs occasional chime and jangle. Even at lower volume, though, the P-90s are still full, rich, a little edgy, and surprisingly sweet in the middle position in particular.Full-on overdrive tones can get as hairy as you like them, but this guitar offers more articulation than some of its kind. You’ll also find many of the singing, wailing, and grinding tones here that you’d expect from humbucker-equipped models. Of course, there’s also significantly more noise, with those wide coils soaking up the 60-cycle hum. That’s another thing habitual P-90 players get used to, and once you start hammering the strings you forget all about it.This guitar is most lively at edge-of-breakup and mid-gain-crunchy amp and pedal settings, where the dynamics and touch sensitivity associated with set-neck mahogany instruments and pickups with attitude can shine. If no-nonsense rock ’n’ roll is your thing, there’s a lot to love. But there’s also nuance to explore once you get a feel for how it responds to touch and volume input.The VerdictAt just less than $1k, the Epiphone IGC 1960 Les Paul Special Double Cut Reissue certainly narrows the gap between the parent company’s top-tier instruments and Epiphone’s best import guitars. You might not encounter the same level of construction detail or period-perfect features that Gibson’s Nashville Custom department turns out. But players that align their expectations with that reality are bound to be very happy with the value this guitar represents.