Edwards: E-LP85SD/P

The Edwards brand name is a subsidiary of ESP guitars which are virtually synonymous with quality & great tone. This wing of the company specializes in copies hence the Les Paul-like model you see here. I was a little skeptical when asked to play an Edwards LP type make (not this guitar) simply because the pirate brand names out there are more interested in cashing in on the LP's popularity than offering a good guitar tone per se. That disbelief quickly vapourized when that Edwards I tried was plugged in. In addition to excellent construction, these copies are equipped with quality hardware & electronics, the manufacturer preferring the Seymour Duncan range of pickups in majority of their selections.

I bought this gold top beauty in an attempt to recalibrate my disdain for P-90 pickups because I believe in being fair; maybe the previous guitar I owned equipped with a pair of P-90s was simply a laclustre product in whole, not just the suspect pickups. The ones resident in my Edwards are Seymour Duncan's SP90-1N & 1B. They are tone gems played clean (especially the neck model) & driven; I have even forgiven their excessive humming in the latter mode.

This guitar is certainly not a consolation for the genuine article because I own a Gibson Les Paul. It looks like the clone has enough genetic enhancements to match the real deal. Some say it's more surpassing than matching.