Epi LP Classic Wood construction

[lpdead]

Hey all - I have a new (China factory '05 or '06) Epi LP Classic Quilt in "Vintage" or tobacco sunburst. Great guitar for the money.

I have been looking it over in detail to try and figure out what woods are used. I have read there is mahogany and alder in the body, with the quilt top being a thin quilt maple veneer. I have also read that the carved wood under the quilt veneer is standard maple. Or possibly alder.
The body is obviously made of at least 3 pieces of wood. Is the center piece alder? Also, the back appears to be a thin veneer of nicer looking mahogany.
The neck is made of 3 pieces of mahogany as well, that much is clear. But the body is harder to figure out without cutting it open.

Does anyone know how many pieces of wood are used in these things? I am curious to know, so when I compare it with a Gibson with a solid mahogany body, a solid maple carved top, and a one-piece neck, I at least know what differences there are in the woods in my Epi.

LPDead

[dmedicff]

Hi LP Dead...and Hi to everyone else here...I've been away for awhile.

Someone here who is more knowledgeable than me can correct me on all this, but I think that with Epis you get the luck of the draw, so to speak. There are those who state the body of their LP is solid mahogany.

I own two Epi LP's, a 2004 LP Classic Red Quilt Top, and a 2006 Standard in Cherry Sunburst. I can tell you that both are at least two piece bodies...maybe even three, but I can only see one marking line of the wood sandwich. I may be wrong, but I think both necks are three piece maple, not mahogany. The flame or quilt pattern is definitely a veneer. There may be some maple top, but not as thick as a Gibson.

I have also heard that the black Les Paul bodies are made entirely of alder wood.

I can not complain about the LP's I have. Each delivers an authentic LP tone. And you have to love the Quilt Top Classic.

[goldtopsnopp]

Hmm. Are your pancace bodies constructed like the old Norlin Gibsons (so that you see the parts glued together)? I have a 56 goldtop, and I can't see any sign that it isn't a one piece body. I believe that the neck is two piece?

[lpdead]

I spoke with a rep at the 1-800-4GIBSON line yesterday, and he confirmed that with most models, it's kind of the luck of the draw - what woods are available, and good enough quality. There is really nothing *wrong* with Alder, it's a decent wood for guitars.
In discussing the quilt top classic, he confirmed that the quilt is a thin veneer, but IS real quilted Maple. They save money by getting more tops out of a quality AA piece of wood that way. Ans he also said that the CARVED cap beneath the quilt IS Maple - just not figured Maple.

The body on my classic appears to be made of 3 pieces - mahogany on both right and left sides, with a 3rd piece that is just slightly wider than the pickups going up the middle. I'm not an expert, but I am familiar with the look of Mahogany grains, and it is possible that all 3 pieces on mine are Mahogany. The center one could be alder - if Alder has a similar grain to Mahogany.
From looking inside the body cavities (back covers off) the Mahogany wood appears continuous from the bottom to the maple cap (in other words, not a "laminate" like plywood). And it does appear that they put a full-cover Mahogany "cap" on the back to cover the seams of the joined body pieces.

Overall, this is not a problem for me - Many guitars are made of multiple woods on purpose to give added strength. My Epi LP Classic Quilt is a SOLID, and very sweet-sounding instrument at ANY price. The fact that the sales guy cut the price down to $375 (US) new, and set up to play makes it even sweeter. Someday I may buy myself a Gibson LP, but I will likely keep this Epi, because it's a great instrument.

LP

[sandman]

i'm certain my classic is all alder.....not solid....just all alder. i love the thing. has a distict tone with the 59's in it and with the natural birdseye top.....so bizarre looking its distinctive.
i think the alder is lighter than the mahogany. i have an agile gold top that is all mahogany and it weights considerably more than the epi.....or at least feels that way.
love em all though. just sonic flowers in the garden waiting to be plugged in

my birthday today....gonna go gorge on seafood and drink myself silly and watch someone play.

party on guys

[anthembassman]

-Hey all. I'm a new member here. Semi-regular at the Epi forums by Gibson and one of the "older" members at guitarists.net. I have an Epi Lester Classic Quilt also. Mine is made by the Unsung plant in October, 2002. I bought it new in Jan 2003.

-The main body of mine is two piece "mahogany." Not really sure what species of mahogany it is, but the join line runs almost the center of the cutaway past the tops of the volume and tone knobs. It does have a mahogany veneer across the back. but one look at the sides gives the # of pieces away. The top on mine is alder either in two or three pieces. On top of the alder is the quilt maple veneer.

-I've done a few mods to it so far. Pulled the stock p'ups and replaced them with DiMarzio Virtual PAFs. Replaced the pots with a matched set of CTS matched between 510k and 514k. Ornage Drop caps with a .015 in the neck and a .022 in the bridge. Switchcraft selector switch and output jack. I've been thinking of replacing the bridge and tailpiece with the Gotoh aluminum set from Stew-Mac. Tuners so far have actually been holding up fairly well. But like everything else, they may be replaced down the road. But I'm not in any rush to do so yet.

L8R,
Matt D.

[dave67]

The new Hand Made in China, are lite. I have an 00 standard that tips the scales at 12lbs, it is a 3 piece mahogany boby. The tops on all Epis are a thin veneer, most of the new ones are a mahogany/alder body. The local GC has one that the headstock was broken on, so they cut it doen the middle and hung it on the wall.
I have also modded mine with Super Distortion and PAF combo, an all DiMario pots, caps and switch. The bridge and tail piece are Tune-O-Matic, the tuners are Tone Pro 33.