Epiphone Inspired by Gibson Custom 1960 Les Paul Special Review

Double Indemnity

Epiphone IGC guitars differ from Epiphone’s Standard line instruments in several respects. Some changes are merely cosmetic, like the “open-book” headstock and a thin “vintage gloss” finish that better approximates a Gibson nitrocellulose finish. Other changes to the hardware—most notably the U.S.-made P-90s, 1-piece neck, and rosewood fretboard—are more substantial. But in each case, the IBCG instruments offer discernibly more Gibson aura.

The Gibson Les Paul Special that inspired this model first appeared in 1958 when the double-cutaway shape was first introduced. The design changed slightly a year or so later when the neck pickup was moved further back to strengthen the neck joint. That change is represented here, though the “1960” designation takes some historical liberties: by 1960 the “Les Paul” name was dropped from the headstock when Paul stepped back from his Gibson endorsement deal.

Quibbling details aside, the IGC 1960 Les Paul Special feels very much like a product of early-1960s guitar design and construction. It’s made with a slab-style, 2-piece mahogany body and glued-in mahogany neck, which is capped with a bound rosewood fingerboard with dot inlays, a 1 11/16" nut width, and 22 medium-jumbo frets. The Gibson-style headstock makes it hard to recognize as an Epiphone from most angles. And though I’ve never been a huge fan of Gibson’s SlimTaper neck profile, it faithfully represents the way Gibson was trending in 1960. Some fret ends here are just a tad snaggy—but all in all the guitar plays well, and makes a good impression for a sub-$1k reissue.

As a Special, this Les Paul is loaded with a pair of single-coil P-90 soapbar pickups, which in this case are pulled straight from Gibson’s American factory stash. That means alnico bar magnets and coils wound to vintage-correct specifications. The rest of the wiring harness is also from U.S.-factory supplies and includes CTS potentiometers, “bumblebee” paper-in-oil tone caps, a Switchcraft 3-way toggle selector, and Switchcraft output jack. The hardware consists of a stud-mounted historical wraparound bridge and three-on-a-plate tuners with plastic buttons, which are essentially Kluson replicas.

If the Epiphone IGC 1960 Les Paul Special Reissue isn’t quite up to the Gibson Custom Shop build quality, it’s still very well put-together. The mahogany, while not quite Custom Shop grade, still results in a reasonably light guitar at around 7.8 pounds. The finish used here is clearly of a different formulation than the nitro used on American models, and actually has a slightly hazy and satin-like sheen.