Epiphone Les Paul

The Epiphone Company is a musical instrument manufacturer founded in 1873 by Anastasios Stathopoulos. Epiphone was Gibson’s main rival in the archtop market until Gibson bought them out in the late 1950s . The name “Epiphone” is a combination of Epaminondas Stathopoulo’s nickname “Epi” and “phone”, Greek for “sound”.

The Gibson-owned Company makes around 20 models of the Les Paul, which are copies of the original. Made in places outside the U.S., the Epiphone Les Paul’s are made from more commonly-available woods and have less hand detailing than the Gibson models, and, as a result, sell for a lower price. Epiphone also offers their version of the Junior.