The Les Paul is a rock and roll icon, and this Epiphone L.P. model makes an excellent beginner's guitar. The Special II has a basswood body, a bolt-on magogany neck (not set like a genuine L.P.), rosewood fingerboard with dot inlays, and two open-coil humbucking pick-ups. Controls are a single volume, single tone and a pickup selector (located between the volume and tone controls). Hardware is chrome or black: bridge is a tune-o-matic style. No binding or fancy inlays: this is a budget guitar without the frills.

Retails for around $170 (Feb. 2008).