Epiphone Les Paul Ukulele Review – The Iconic Guitar Reimagined in Ukulele Form!

Body And Neck:
Hardware:
Sound:
Value:

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The Gibson Les Paul – the iconic rock-fueled electric guitar, reserved only for guitarists… until now! Because Gibson’s subsidiary Epiphone have released their Les Paul Concert Ukulele, which comes with the legendary design, electronics, and a price tag in the cheaper end of our sub-$200 ukuleles chart. So, is it just a gimmick, or does this little uke really rock? Let’s find out!

Body & Neck

As we’ve established, this uke sports the timeless Les Paul body shape, complete with single cutaway, plastic pickguard and familiar headstock, emblazoned with the classic Les Paul signature. With a concert size, the body is made from solid mahogany on the back and sides, with a laminated flamed maple top, shown off with a translucent high-gloss finish – a choice of Vintage Sunburst or Heritage Cherry Sunburst.

The bolt-on mahogany neck is cut to Epiphone’s comfortable SlimTaper D profile, and features a rosewood fretboard with 19 silver nickel frets – all very accessible thanks to the cutaway. There’s a good weight to this uke, giving it more of that authentic Les Paul feel, while the playability is as smooth as you’d expect from Epiphone – even in this affordable price range.

Hardware

This Les Paul uke is loaded with an undersaddle piezo pickup and a standard ¼” output jack, so hooking it up to any guitar amp is a cinch. However, the lack of volume or tone controls is a bit of a shame, meaning the only way to tend to the sound is via the amp. Elsewhere, the headstock is equipped with open-geared tuning machines, offering very good 14:1 tuning precision. For the performers among you, it comes with strap buttons, which are a good addition. The strings aren’t fantastic, but a quick change isn’t too taxing. Finally, it comes shipped in its own gig bag – again, for this price, it’s a nice addition.

Sound

The only slight letdown for this cool ukulele is the sound. Acoustically it’s not as resonant as the others on our sub-$200 chart (even when compared to some on our sub-$100 ukes chart it falls a little short!), and sounds a tad hollow. It’s fine for practicing, but it may not do your playing justice if you are anything more than a beginner. However, plugged in, it’s not bad at all – clear and warm enough, and certainly sorts out the volume issue.

Conclusion

This fun little uke is faithful to the guitar version of the Les Paul, with a stunning look and feel. Epiphone have done a great job with the build and the hardware, although the instrument is let down a little by the slightly lifeless sound. For the price though, it’s not bad. Could you use this Les Paul on stage? Although it depends on your idea of stage-worthy sound, we’d certainly use it for smaller gigs based on looks alone!

For more info about the Epiphone Les Paul Ukulele, click here.
For more Ukulele Under $200 you might like, click here.