Got my Edwards LP

[blackmonday]

First Post!



No real need for pictures, it looks just like this. I haven't seen a bad review of an Edwards yet, so I ordered this guitar from Ishibashi. It was a long process, but I got the guitar yesterday.

The bad: The color was significantly "yellower" than I expected. Its a vintage white, but damn I wish it was a bit whiter. It looks quite a bit darker in real life. Out of the box, intonation is out on a couple strings. There is a fret buzz on a few strings, needs some minor tweaking. (no biggie) Also, there's a tiny imperfection in one of the inlays. And they place a sticker on each pickup showing the Seymour Duncan model, and it leaves a residue I'm gonna have to clean off with lighter fluid. I don't really care for the gig bag. It's OK, but I was hoping for something a little better.

The good: Everything else. The guitar weighs about the same as my LP Standard. The fit and finish are perfect. Yes perfect. There are zero flaws to be found other that the previously mentioned inlay, and that's almost a microscopic flaw. The tuners are real Gotohs. The nut seems to be bone. The hardware is high quality, though I don't know who makes it. The fretwork is perfect, the fretboard is a beautiful dark ebony. The binding is perfect all around.

The guitar is easy to play and sounds great. I had a lot of fun last night playing the obligatory sweet child of mine intro through the neck pickup. The bridge pickup is a Duncan JB, and its a little hot for my taste but it will do. I tried playing clean and the JB doesn't like it! Even with no overdrive at all the pickup has a crunch to it.

For those who would change pickups, ESP seems to "dull" the finish on all the hardware to satin. So if you change a pickup, your new one will be shinier unless you can dull it out yourself.

Keep in mind that I'm still in the "honeymoon" period, but this guitar is 90% as good as my LP Standard. I take 10% off because I like how Gibson binds over the fret ends, and the slightly weird color. I prefer the color of a White Les Paul Custom.

Edwards has a regular white finish (mine is vintage white), but not in the "laquer taste" series. According to Ishibashi, its not nitro at all, but a simulated nitro. Whatever that means!

I'll be buying another one soon. These guitars are a real steal and the price might be going up due to all these new Edwards converts. Its not a real Gibson, and honestly it does bug me that I'm buying a copy. But I can't help it, it's such a great guitar.

[JimRayden]

Thanks for that review, for me that's another little push towards the Edwards-cliff. I'm over the edge pretty soon.

-------
Jimbo

[EunosFD]

Originally Posted by blackmonday

The hardware is high quality, though I don't know who makes it.

According to Ishibashi, its not nitro at all, but a simulated nitro. Whatever that means!

I'll be buying another one soon. These guitars are a real steal and the price might be going up due to all these new Edwards converts. Its not a real Gibson, and honestly it does bug me that I'm buying a copy. But I can't help it, it's such a great guitar.

First of all congrats on the purchase.

The hardware is all Gotoh. At least mine (Page model) has all Gotoh stuff. The tailpiece isn't aluminum though, but it doesn't bother me.

The finish is apparently a thin poly base coat with a thin nitro top coat. Granted, the finish on yours might be different & thicker than on mine, but it should be the same from what I understand.

They're definitely one of the best (if not THE best) deals in set neck LP'esqe guitars out there right now IMO.

[kimonostereo]

I'll ride on your coat tails a bit...

I got my Edwards "Jimmy Page" Les Paul about a week ago from Ishibashi too. The craftsmanship of this guitar is nothing short of amazing for the price.

At first I wasn't sure if I really wanted a relic'd instrument but I bit the bullet and went with it. They look so good in the pictures!

Cons: My only quibble with the guitar was that the strings weren't wound up the way I like and caused a bit of tuning instability. I'll have to change out the SIT strings that it comes with sometime soon. Not enough windings on the posts. The gig bag is "ehhh" but at least it came with one. I wish the flame on mine were a little more "pronounced" like some I have seen here but it's got a nice enough flame on it. No knob position markers but this is easily fixed and is so nit picky of me but I had to put it in... heh.

Pros: This thing rocks! It's lightweight and has a great acoustic tone. Plugged in, I couldn't be happier.... The set up on this guitar was dead-on. Fully intonated. The Hardware is top notch, the pickup switching is confusing but it's not Edwards fault. That's just a learning curve to using the JP switching circuit. I was thinking that the relicing would take some getting used to but it was done very nicely and then covered with nitro. The finish has a dull aged look just as I thought it would. The only thing that sticks out is the gold tuners which aren't aged an the strap locks as well. I suppose if you wanted to, you could buff it out to get it shiny looking...
The electronics were nicely done and packed in foam under the plastic cover. If you are picky you could replace the plastic cover with something thicker but I don't really care about doing that.

I was a Les Paul guy back in the 80's as I borrowed friends Les Paul's when the strat with one pickup was the in thing. I have a Brian Moore i2 guitar which is beautiful to look at but doesn't hold a candle to the tone of the Edwards. It just sounds good!

I haven't considered changing pickups yet. The Duncan Custom sounds pretty good to me. I was wondering how close to the strings are the neck pickup supposed to be?

Some pics:

[Gas-man]

Yet another reason we live in the golden age of gear.

I wish they had these things when I was a kid. Or 30 dollar pedals for that matter.

[AlexF]

Originally Posted by Gas-man

Yet another reason we live in the golden age of gear.

I wish they had these things when I was a kid. Or 30 dollar pedals for that matter.

you are so right. remember Jedson copies? its a wonder i learned to play at all ! kids today are so lucky gear wise
Al

[TimH]

I just bought a used one from a forum member. Can't wait to play it next week! Glad you like yours...its nice to hear from someone who has a LP Std. right next to it.

[AlexF]

Originally Posted by TimH

I just bought a used one from a forum member. Can't wait to play it next week! Glad you like yours...its nice to hear from someone who has a LP Std. right next to it.

have no fear, my edwards sits next to my sons gibbo lp classic, we both agree the edwards wins hands down
Al

[Whoopysnorp]

I got mine last week. It's the LP Standard copy in honeyburst. I have never been happier with a guitar. The action is comfy as hell, the tone is great, the finish feels good, the neck is just the right size, and I'll be damned if I can put the thing down.

[Mrjoelv]

Originally Posted by kimonostereo

I'll ride on your coat tails a bit...

I got my Edwards "Jimmy Page" Les Paul about a week ago from Ishibashi too. The craftsmanship of this guitar is nothing short of amazing for the price.

At first I wasn't sure if I really wanted a relic'd instrument but I bit the bullet and went with it. They look so good in the pictures!

Cons: My only quibble with the guitar was that the strings weren't wound up the way I like and caused a bit of tuning instability. I'll have to change out the SIT strings that it comes with sometime soon. Not enough windings on the posts. The gig bag is "ehhh" but at least it came with one. I wish the flame on mine were a little more "pronounced" like some I have seen here but it's got a nice enough flame on it. No knob position markers but this is easily fixed and is so nit picky of me but I had to put it in... heh.

Pros: This thing rocks! It's lightweight and has a great acoustic tone. Plugged in, I couldn't be happier.... The set up on this guitar was dead-on. Fully intonated. The Hardware is top notch, the pickup switching is confusing but it's not Edwards fault. That's just a learning curve to using the JP switching circuit. I was thinking that the relicing would take some getting used to but it was done very nicely and then covered with nitro. The finish has a dull aged look just as I thought it would. The only thing that sticks out is the gold tuners which aren't aged an the strap locks as well. I suppose if you wanted to, you could buff it out to get it shiny looking...
The electronics were nicely done and packed in foam under the plastic cover. If you are picky you could replace the plastic cover with something thicker but I don't really care about doing that.

I was a Les Paul guy back in the 80's as I borrowed friends Les Paul's when the strat with one pickup was the in thing. I have a Brian Moore i2 guitar which is beautiful to look at but doesn't hold a candle to the tone of the Edwards. It just sounds good!

I haven't considered changing pickups yet. The Duncan Custom sounds pretty good to me. I was wondering how close to the strings are the neck pickup supposed to be?

Some pics:

Very nice guitar, what does the Jimmy Page model cost?

[Gigbag]

If you don't mind, what were the prices for the various Edwards LPs that have been posted so far? Total cost with shipping?

[jamison162]

How do they compare to the Standard Epiphones?

[Gas-man]

Originally Posted by Gigbag

If you don't mind, what were the prices for the various Edwards LPs that have been posted so far? Total cost with shipping?

I think they are 7-800 samolians.

[EunosFD]

Best way to check current price is to e-mail a retailer like Ishibashi (www.ishibashi.co.jp) (click on the "English" tab near the upper right side) then do a quick conversion using a site like www.xe.com/ucc That'll get you the most up to date price using the most current exchange rates.

jamison, the Edwards line is more akin to the Epi Eliteist line, but possibly higher quality yet. Or another way to look at it is that build-wise they're in line with Gibson Standards or maybe even Historics (in terms of specs that is). Granted, the Navigator line is probably the closest to Historics or CS guitars & likely better. There was a recent thread on here about 'em if you care to dig it up (it's maybe a week old or so).

[JimRayden]

Just a little laugh... I was exploring Ishibashi and found this cool description:

Moreover, the width of the sound extends with a jerk because it can select an impossible ham backer sound by the dual mode switch in past Terecastar.

Nothing negative to say though, their descriptions just spice up the visit and make choosing a guitar fun.

[EDIT] Ahh it's so cute how some things are translated. Laquer is spelled Raccar.

-------
Jimbo