Epiphone Beginner Guitars..
Gibson Looks And Quality Without The Gibson Price

Epiphone Explorer GT

Epiphone beginner guitars are high quality, hard rocking instruments for the beginning guitarist. When you're starting out you don't need high dollar professional instruments and equipment but you do need quality equipment at an affordable price. Being a part of the Gibson guitar family, you know that when you choose an Epiphone electric guitar, you are getting a quality instrument regardless of the price point.

Being what they are, Epiphone electric guitars can be quite pricey. However, there are models that you can buy for around $300 and under. This in the price range that I consider to be a reasonable investment for the beginning guitarist. Currently, Epiphone produces six models that I would consider to be Epiphone beginner guitars because they fall in this price range.

The most inexpensive Gibson Electric guitar will cost at least twice as much as its Epiphone counterpart. For this reason, if you want Gibson looks, sound, quality and playability, an Epiphone beginner guitar is a good choice if you're on a limited budget or are a beginning guitarist.

For 2011 Epiphone offers 6 models in the price range that I consider to be an entry level guitar: the LP Express, the Les Paul Special II, the Special II GT, the SG Express, the SG Special, and the Explorer GT. Check out the offerings and enjoy the toys.

Epiphone Beginner Guitars...

• LP Express
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  The Epiphone LP Express is a great Epiphone beginner guitar. It's basically a scaled down version of the legendary Les Paul, making it a great choice for younger or smaller players.
  
  The body of the Epiphone LP Express is made from solid, resonant mahogany for great tone and is completed with a worn, Gloss Ebony finish for a great look and feel. The tapered-heel, bolt-on neck is maple with a slim 1960's style Slim Taper profile with a tilted Epiphone headstock sporting die-cast tuners. The 21 fret fretboard is rosewood for nice tone and smooth playability. The guitar's scale length is 22 inches making it ideal for the smaller or younger player.
  
  Great sound is provided by a USA designed 650R humbucking pickup at the neck and a USA designed 700T humbucker at the bridge. The LP Express's bridge is a fully adjustable Epiphone FB-601 with string-thru-body design for increased tone and sustain. The hardware is vintage-style Black Witch Hat knobs with chrome metal inserts. All in all, this Epiphone beginner guitar is a sweet instrument, giving you the Les Paul look, feel and sound at a much lower price. Check it out.



• Les Paul Special II
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  The Epiphone Les Paul Special II is much the same same as the LP Express and is one of Epiphone's most popular models.
  
  The only real differences that I know of are that it uses Alnico V humbucker pickups and a Tune-O-Matic bridge and stopbar tailpiece. It also is available as a left-handed model. This is a great Epiphone beginner guitar. Give one a look today.



• Special II GT
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  The Epiphone Special II GT takes the no nonsense, hard rocking Les Paul Special II even farther down the hard rock trail. The Special II GT's body is solid mahogany for great tone. Its neck is bolt-on maple with the Slim Taper design for superb playability. The neck is hand fit in body cavity with a traditional bolt plate. The rosewood fretboard has 21 medium jumbo frets and Acrylic Mother-Of-Pearl parallelogram inlays. The headstock is the traditional Epiphone "clipped ear" design with premium die-cast zinc tuners with hardened steel gears.
  
  Blistering sound is provided by USA designed ceramic humbucking pickups - a 650R at the neck and a 700T at the bridge. Adding to the tone is a Locktone Tune-O-Matic bridge with a stopbar tailpiece. To sweeten the package further, the GT also features a 6-screw vintage style tremolo.
  
  The Epiphone Special II GT doesn't stop there, though. With a three way toggle switch pickup selector and volume and tone controls, you can get a variety of sounds out of this beauty. However, it has a secret weapon. The tone control has a push-pull "kill switch" built into it allowing you to create some mega-cool effects. How they managed to pack all these features into an Epiphone beginner guitar price point is beyond me. You normally see these features only in high dollar rock machines. You owe it to yourself to check this baby out.



• SG Express
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  The Epiphone SG Express captures the look, feel and sound of one of the most legendary rock guitars of all - the Gibson SG. The SG Express is built to a 22 inch scale length rather the traditional 24.75 inch scale length making it ideal for younger or smaller players. Although the string tension is looser on a smaller scale guitar, the Epiphone SG Express doesn't give up any of the tone of its full-sized brothers.
  
  The SG Express's body is mahogany for the deep rich tone that all Rockers crave. Adding to the tone and playability is a hard maple bolt-on neck with a tapered heel for easy access to the upper fret range. The rosewood fretboard has 21 medium jumbo frets with dot position inlays. The headstock the same as the headstock on the Les Paul Special II GT.
  
  The snarling rock sound is provided by the same pickups that grace the Les Paul Special II GT. The bridge is a fully adjustable Epiphone FB-601 with string-thru-body construction that provides the sustain and tone that you need on a serious rock guitar. Of course, in keeping with its hard rock persona, the Epiphone SG Express has vintage-style Black Witch Hat with chrome inserts tone and volume control knobs and a three-way toggle switch for pickup selection.
  
  This snarling, screaming Epiphone beginner guitar deserves serious respect and consideration.



• SG Special
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  The Epiphone SG Special is another Epiphone beginner guitar that overdelivers for the price.
  
  The SG Special's specifications are much the same as the Express's. The main differences are the scale length(full-sized), open faced humbuckers and a Tune-O-Matic bridge with a stopbar tailpiece for great sustain and tone. This is definitely a guitar that delivers well beyond its price. Grab one and HORNS UP!



• Explorer GT
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  The Epiphone Explorer GT is a new twist on Gibson's rock monster, the Explorer. The GT is scaled down to about 85% of the original's size yet retains a 25 1/2 scale length that contributes to a totally "in your face" tone.
  
  The Epiphone Explorer GT has a mahogany body for great tone, a hard maple Slim Taper neck with bolt-on, hand-fit in body cavity construction. The rosewood fretboard has 22 medium jumbo frets with acrylic Mother-Of-Pearl parallelogram inlays. The headstock is a triangular "Flying V" style with three premium black chrome tuners to a side.
  
  Providing the sonic mayhem are two USA designed high output ceramic humbuckers - a 650R at the bridge and a 700T at the neck. Rounding out things is black chrome Locktone Tune-O-Matic bridge with a stopbar tailpiece for more tone and sustain. To complete the package, the Explorer GT sports black "speed knobs" for the master volume and tone controls as well as a three-way pickup selector switch. Like the Les Paul Special II GT, the Explorer GT brings a secret weapon to the table in the form of push-pull kill switch built into the tone control.
  
  This is one Epiphone beginner guitar that offers more features than you would think possible for its price. Grab yourself one and ROCK THE HOUSE!

To sum up, the Epiphone beginner guitars I've listed are a great choice for the player who wants Gibson looks, sound and playability but can't afford the Gibson price tag. To be honest, many Epiphone models have very high price tags - they are part of the Gibson family of guitars, after all. The Epiphone models I've listed here aren't the only ones that fit my criteria of around $300 or less for a beginner level guitar. You can find many more at Guitar Center, Musicians Friend, Music123 and Sam Ash . I just wanted to give you a good representation of the variety of Epiphone beginner guitars that are available.