20min

Sunday. Brief respite from work. Guitar time - yes! But this Edwards is the heaviest guitar I own. I played it for only 20min before switching to something else. When it rests on the lap, it will restrict blood circulation almost immediately. I enjoy playing this guitar for its sustain & the JB in there (bridge) is one of the best distortion tone I could conjure. 

Edit: My medical condition, as it is blood-related, actually accentuated the numbness. For the record, I still suffer from poor blood circulation owing to the cancer & medication side effects.

Covered goodness

I only have good things to say about the Seymour Duncan JB & '59. However, I don't fancy gold covers but on that note, these covers did something to tone. I'm not about to unleash dichotomy here by saying pickup covers are doing some magic when it comes to tone but the JB, being one of the raunchiest humbucker when it comes to midrange performance, somehow sounds very smooth here. The '59 also has its vintage livery a little souped up when it comes to contemporary overdriven tones. I do not wish to look too much into those covers doing their thing but rest in the knowledge that there might be other possible contributors to this difference I hear in the mean time. 

Re-string + goodbye

A very difficult decision but it had to happen - said goodbye to my Edwards E-LPC to raise funds for my chemo bills (due next week). In terms of tone impression within the singlecut domain, this guitar is a beast, especially after the pickup swap (gold covered Duncan JB / Jazz). The E-LPC came with in house EH pickups which, in my opinion, are above average but lacks the punch when it comes to distortion. As for me, it's all about distortion. It was handed over to a friend who is a Les Paul enthusiast; a deserving transfer of ownership, I must say. Gave it a quick re-string - D'Arco 10s - before the farewell.

E-LPC

 

So I bought this. It's the Edwards E-LPC. It's not an attempt to embrace make believe; it's not a Gibson by any means. The feel is different, especially the neck. I also did not retain the default pickups. Gave it a Duncan JB/ Jazz treatment because that's what I want to hear, I do not wish for an LP Custom voicing. OK so it's another black guitar for me, it's forgivable because it's a good one.

Review: Edwards E-LPC

 

In the Les Paul domain, only a Gibson matters. Even if a particular model succeeded in outdoing the Gibson in every way, the Gibson will hold true to value & appeal. The Edwards brand name is ESP’s sister label which deals domestically (Japan market). If any of these instruments make their way out of Japan, it means that favoured dealers are bringing these in on private terms. As such, we don’t see any advertisements or outright promos pertaining to the Edwards products. Everything is done exclusively; you either commit your following to the brand name’s limited cyber presence or you are the type who embrace Gibson dearly & its sister company, Epiphone. 

 

Construction/ fit/ finish

The E-LPC here is obviously a Les Paul Custom copy. I dare say it’s a copy because Edwards made no attempts to differentiate its physical attributes from the Gibson version less that brand name & the absence of a split diamond inlay at the headstock. Everything else screams Les Paul Custom from one end of the instrument to the other. As the QC is overseen by the ESP hands, production standards are above average. In fact, it’s so good, being in this price range, it seems unreal. A couple of demerits here, firstly, it’s that excessive lacquer build up at the neck-body joint, particularly obvious on the bass side of the strings. Secondly, the glue for the upper fret inlays are also excessive. In fact, you would see more glue than inlay here but the pearloid finish masks things up fairly well. It would take an extended observation to notice this imperfection & on that note, both issues are really forgettable flaws. You wouldn’t notice them unless you get into sleuth mode in the name of fine observations. Top marks here, definitely.

 

Playability/ tone

My first impression of this guitar has to be its weight – a hefty 3.8kg. If you are a Les Paul purist & believe in the magical weight category, this will have some mojo going. The guitar sounds jangly unplugged without being excessively bright. The neck width is a good 2mm wider (at the nut) than the Gibson spec. Also, the rear carve is more of a Fender C-type albeit a lot thicker but not as thick as the Japanese offset Telecaster. So it’s fair warning to you if you think you can get away with a Custom-esque feel for way less money – not quite. It’s good to know the fretboard here is ebony, in line with what Gibson started with historically. As such, the feel is simply smooth with a deserving hardneess without being synthetic. 

 

Tone-wise, I think I expected a little too much from the in-house EH-1G humbuckers. These sound very rounded & lacking definition in some settings, especially under extreme distortion. In clean mode, things remain fat & creamy. That neck pickup can definitely pull off some good jazz tones & I like it a lot more than the bridge counterpart. On hindsight, the humbuckers are very 57-ish, vintage in spirit with a good potential for hard rock & a very rounded top end. I’m still trying to get used to that top hat type control knobs, especially their looks from a playing angle. However, the in house ESP pots work well & are not scratchy.

 

Conclusion

Is the Edwards E-LPC the definite alternative to a Les Paul Custom? My frank & direct answer – no. Is it then a worthy investment when it comes to emulating the Les Paul Custom? Again, my frank & direct answer – heck, yes! Do not commit yourself to believe that it’s a Les Paul Custom by another name just by how close (very close indeed!) it looks like to the actual guitar. In the true spirit of the Les Paul Custom, the neck carve could have been more accurate. The tone on offer here is also a love / hate affair & it wouldn’t win over fans of modern high gain tones. The E-LPC shows the world that Edwards has good standards in production & listing for good money but people tend to take issue with the fact that they are downright copy cats. Be informed that copy models are not the only thing Edwards does. 

Overall rating: 85%

Edwards: E-LPC

Availability: Davis GMC

List: $1,150

Likes

• impressive Japanese QC
• smooth tuners/ pots
• quality ebony fretboard
• price + bag included

Dislikes

• weight
• vintage type pickups, limited dynamics

New @ stores

 

Some stuff that would do your weekend shopping some good - we begin with the Edwards LP-types here. The E-LP125SD ($1,450) gold top is equipped with Seymour Duncans from the factory so it lists for a little more than its brother. That black E-LPC ($1,150) is the non-Seymour Duncan version; a good investment if you are into Japanese guitars which are affordable but not skimpy. Available at Davis GMC.

Over at the Swee Lee camp, a pair of Fender signature models: 1) HER (above, $1,599) 2) Tom Morello (below, $1,879). 

PICS: Davis GMC/ Fender