Epiphone Les Paul Custom, made in Japan 2004, ebony finish. This arrived in quite a sorry state, but a little holiday with out local luthier has freshened it up beautifully and it's now in great order. The Japanese-made Epiphone guitars are fairly scarce and suffer from a lack of good available info owing to some constant upheaval around what was being made where. This one was proudly wearing a 'made in Japan' decal on arrival, which it unfortunately it had to lose in the headstock repair process, but the serial format, hardware etc all checks out; this was Japanese-made offering sold on the local market. The tone is thick, bright, snappy and full, with am open and creamy midrange; it's got a lot of appeal. The worn black finish looks all the better for a few miles on the clock; the mild patina on the hardware and slightly reduced sheen gives this a legit relic look that's very appealing. Tasty!

Model: Epiphone Japan Les Paul Custom Ebony 2004
Made: 2004, Japan (serial 4090986)
Finish: gloss black ('ebony')
Body: maple top, mahogany body, not chambered
Neck: mahogany with rosewood board, 24.75" scale, 12" radius
Weight: 5.1kg approx
Mods: knobs replaced, guard removed, headstock repaired (see notes below)
Pickup: original Epiphone humbuckers
Case: very basic non-original gig bag

Cosmetic condition notes: mild finish wear. There's a couple of scuffs and a very minor chip on the end of the headstock. We arranged a headstock repair by our local ninja luthier, which is so well done it's basically invisible; this did mean losing the 'Made in Japan' decal though as that spot had to be refinished. He also repaired a minor crack in the body where the neck joins, presumably related to the same traumatic incident as the headstock break. Neck is otherwise pretty clean, just some minor surface scratches and play wear; nothing that impedes play. The back has some light dimples and scratches dotted around the place, nothing major. There's a chip where the neck meets the body in the finish only, noting the repair above. The sides are pretty good, just some dimples in the shoulder area and near the input jack. The input jack plate is slightly broken, it's functional and stable but might benefit from being replaced. The front has a couple of dents between the pickups, behind the bridge and on the edge of the shoulder area, as well as some play wear on the both horns. Switch tip and guard are both missing. Overall: good condition (7/10).

Playing condition notes: Action is low, neck is straight, intonation is good, truss rod works. Frets have some normal wear but there's plenty of height in them, 7/10 for life left. Setup with fresh 10/46s and playing beautifully.