Overview
Brand name:
Product:
- electric guitars
Series name:
Dates of manufacture:
The Epiphone Les Paul Special II is a no-frills Les Paul style electric introduced in 1996. It has two exposed coil humbucking pickups controlled by one volume knob, one tone knob and a three-way pickup selector switch. The pickups were originally Epiphone Alnico Classics but more recently this model has Epiphone 650R and 700T pickups. The bridge is a Tune-O-Matic with a stop-bar tailpiece. They typically have a basswood or mahogany body with a bolt-on mahogany neck and a rosewood fretboard (with plastic dot inlays. There is no binding or carved top on this guitar. Finish is black, white, red, cherry sunburst or vintage sunburst. Hardware is either nickel plated, chrome or black finished.
Epiphone sometimes refers to the Special II as their most popular Les Paul model - it is a good no-frills Les Paul style instrument at a budget price. Although the design has gone mostly unchanged over the years, Special IIs have been made in various locations, most recently in China. Some older models had a "Gibson" labeled truss cover and some players prefer these models.
A left handed version is available. A Special II plus model was available in the late 1990s, with coil tapping OBL pickups and die-cast machine heads.
Specifications (23)
Body
Body material | basswood body, mahogany body |
Body shape features | single cutaway |
Body style | Les Paul-style body |
Hardware
Bridge | tune-o-matic bridge |
Hardware color | nickel hardware |
Tailpiece | stop tailpiece |
Fretboard
Fingerboard material | rosewood fingerboard |
Fingerboard position markers | dot fingerboard position markers |
General
Finish colors | ebony finish, red finish, white finish |
Finish effects | sunburst finish |
Made in | China, Korea |
Number of strings | 6 strings |
Scale length | 24.75 inches scale-length |
Neck
Neck joint | bolt on neck |
Neck material | mahogany neck |
Neck profile | slim D neck profile |
Neck width | 1.68 inches wide at nut |
Tuner layout | three-each-side |
Controls
Pickup selector controls | 3-way selector switch |
Tone controls | 1 tone control |
Volume controls | 1 volume control |
Electronics
Pickups brand and model | Epiphone 650R pickup(s), Epiphone 700T pickup(s), Epiphone alnico classic pickup(s) |
Pickups configuration | 2 humbucker pickups |
Prices (5)
Date | Price | Condition | Name | Comments |
---|---|---|---|---|
1996 | $300 | good | ||
2005 | $200 | excellent | ||
2017 | $400 | new | ||
2018 | kr900 | good | ||
1996 | $50 | excellent | Sunny | It was cheap due to the repairs that were required (jack, wiring, neck). She is a beauty now! |