Vintage 2002 (Gibson) Epiphone Les Paul Custom - 50th Anniversary - Ebony (Black Beauty) - Made in Korea (MIK) - Free Pro Setup

Vintage 2002 Gibson / Epiphone Les Paul Custom - 50th Anniversary - Black Beauty - Made in Korea Weighs 8.9 lbs Free Pro Setup - $100 Value See below for details. Available Cases: Gig bag, $49 Modern Epiphone Les Paul hard shell case, $119 (shown) Epiphone period correct hard shell case - Made in Canada by TKL, $179 SKB heavy duty molded Les Paul case, TSA approved, $219 This guitar will ship without a case or gig bag, unless you add one to your order Made in Korea (MIK): Gibson made their Epiphone brand in Korea from the 1980's until around 2007. Then they moved production to save money. If you buy a new Epi Les Paul Custom, it will be made in China. We've compared the new Epiphones to the older MIK models and find the MIK Epi's are consistently better. They look, play and sound better. We like them so much, with few exceptions, we now deal exclusively in the MIK Epiphones, and we buy them whenever we can. We've found them to be consistently good, with excellent build quality, sound and playability. They look beautiful, sound wonderful and they just feel right. And many players and collectors also favor these older MIK Les Pauls. They are becoming harder to find in good original condition, and prices are going up. We always recommend buying the MIK Epi's. Limited Edition 50th Anniversary: The 2002 Epiphone Les Paul Custom 50th Anniversary "Black Beauty" is a limited-edition built to celebrate a massive milestone: 50 years of the Gibson Les Paul, which debuted in 1952. It came with all the bells and whistles of the Les Paul Custom, plus upgraded Grover Imperial tuners and special artwork on the back. Because it was manufactured in 2002, this guitar stands as a historic collector's piece from the highly regarded Unsung factory in South Korea, universally praised for delivering some of Epiphone's finest build quality. Artwork: The defining characteristic is its artwork. While the front looks like a standard, elegant "Tuxedo" Les Paul Custom, the back features a graphic montage celebrating the career of Les with performance photos of Les Paul himself. Superimposed over the images are historical renderings of his earliest inventions, including his homemade 1940s "Log" and his iconic 1952 Gibson Gold Top. Limited Production: Only 2,002 units were produced worldwide. Collectability: Based on the excellent build quality of the MIK Les Paul Customs, the limited production number and the historic 50th Anniversary graphics, these guitars should increase in value. Condition: This guitar is 24 years old, but is still in very good condition overall. The top has a few dings and there is a gouge on the top of the control cavity. We applied a little black paint to it to make it less noticeable. When we got it, it had a chrome bridge and tailpiece, so we sourced a new set of gold hardware, which is what this guitar had when new. Other 50th anniversary models we've seen have a metal truss rod cover - this one has black plastic, so it is probably not original. Functionally and sonically it is excellent. We've gone through it and everything works as it should. Plays and sounds wonderful. Lots of mojo! Overall: A beautifully crafted guitar. Looks, plays and sounds wonderful. These MIK Gibson/Epiphones are getting harder to find. And this is a good one. Luthier's Assessment and Measurements: Serial No. 0689-2002U Weight: 8.9 lbs Nut width: 1.70" Neck width at 12th Fret: 2.07" Neck thickness at 1st fret: 0.83" Neck thickness at 12th fret: 0.92" Action (high e): 0.050" Action (low E): 0.060" Neck pickup DCR: 8.3k Ohms Bridge pickup DCR: 13.6k Ohms Truss rod: Excellent. Turns easily Fret condition: Excellent 9/10 Cosmetic condition: Good. Small dings and dents. Gouge of wood on the top of the control cavity. No pickguard. Functional condition: Excellent. Playability: Excellent. Easy to play. Electronics: Excellent Sound: Excellent Overall condition: Very good Specs: Body: Mahogany Top: Carved Neck: Mahogany Body binding: Five-ply w/b/w/b/w on top and back Neck binding: Antique white Headstock binding: Seven-ply w/b/w/b/w/b/w Fretboard: Rosewood Frets: Medium jumbo No. frets: 22 Fretboard inlays: White pearloid blocks Headstock inlay: Abalone Gibson custom double diamond Scale: 24.75” Fretboard radius: 12” Neck pickup: Epiphone Alnico Humbucker Bridge pickup: Epiphone Alnico High Output Humbucker Controls: Two Volume, two tone Switch: Three-way toggle Bridge: Tune-O-Matic Tailpiece: Stop Bar Tuners: Grover Imperial Hardware: Gold About Del Mar Lutherie: We’re a small shop in San Diego County, California. We build electric guitars, hand-wired tube amps, and do mods and setups. We also buy and sell vintage and used gear. Our owner is a guitar enthusiast, wood worker and professional engineer by training. We’re part of the local guitar community (Fender, Taylor, Carvin/Kiesel). We're not open to the public, but we do welcome clients by appointment. Why buy from us? Our customers…