Advantages: Sound, image, built to last
Disadvantages: Some may find it a bit heavy

...An Introduction About a month ago I decided that it was time I purchased a new electric guitar. My faithful 1988 Gibson Les Paul has served me well for the last 9 years and is still going strong. The thing is though it’s now starting to increase in value and become a nice little investment so it could do with spending a bit less time on a beer soaked stage around clumsy band members and other musicians (including myself)! So a new guitar then, but what make should I get? A metal pointy thrash machine like an Ibanez? Nah! Not my style and they look so flimsy that they’d last five minutes! A Paul Reed Smith? Nah! Lovely guitars but I’m not paying nearly three grand for the privilege! So then, something that is built to last, classy and not way too expensive? Only one choice then, another Gibson Les Paul! Actually I... Read review

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Advantages: Nice mellow, deep blues/rock sound (Gary Moore, Jimmy Page)
Disadvantages: Won't get that Hendrix sound

...Epiphone are the same company as Gibson apart from the fact that Gibson guitars are made with the highest quality wood and components, and instead of being made in the USA they're made in poorer countries like Taiwan or Korea therefore being cheaper. The quality of Epiphone guitars, in the last few years, has increased. With the EPIPHONE Les Paul Std.'s the only main difference are the pickups - so if you buy some burstbuckers you should get a sound pretty much the same (quote from www.gibson.com - "BurstBuckers put the “edge” on replica Gibson sounds") The Epiphone Les Paul Standard comes with either a '50's Rounded or '60's slim taper neck profile where as Classic is only '60's slim. The difference between the '50's and the '60's neck is that the '50's neck is generally a rounder and chunkier neck than the '60's. The '60's... Read review

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Advantages: Wonderful to watch, on-screen lyrics, great cast
Disadvantages: Some minor quibbles

...INTRODUCTION After falling in love with this musical (as I mentioned in my previous review), I bought two DVDs of it – the film version I wrote about earlier and the concert DVD, which is the one I am reviewing here. This one is listed as ‘Les Miserables – The Musical That Swept The World – in concert’ (That’s a good one for charades!) and stars what is known as ‘the Dream Cast’. This is the 10th Anniversary concert filmed at the Royal Albert Hall and stars several well known actors and singers, including Colm Wilkinson as Jean Valjean, Philip Quast as Inspector Javert, Ruthie Henshall as Fantine, Michael Ball as Marius, Alun Armstrong as Thenardier and Lea Salonga as Eponine. STORY A brief précis for those who are not familiar with the story of Les Miserables… Jean Valjean was arrested for stealing a loaf of bread... Read review

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Advantages: The most amazing musical EVER !!
Disadvantages: Should be twice as long !!!!!

...I've only ever seen one musical in the West End ..... guess which one !!! I've actually seen "Les Miserables" twice and would many more times if given the chance. Les Miserables is widely recognised as the World's most popular musical. 10 years after it's opening night, the 1996 10th Anniversary concert which took place at The Royal Albert Hall, has become almost as legendary as the show itself. This amazing production is one of the most remarkable performances of Les Miserables ever put together, with the full magnificance of the score accompanied by the outstanding Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. The "Dream Cast" put together for this production includes over 250 performers with some of the West End's top musical actors taking the lead roles, many of these stars have appeared in the show worldwide. A bit about "Les... Read review

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Advantages: Brilliant, touching, lovely story
Disadvantages: none

...Les Miserables is a musical made from Victor Hugo’s book and is the most amazing musical I have ever been to. It is in its own league. This musical is fantastic. You ever have a chance to see it whether at Broadway in New York or in London, you must seize this opportunity. I went to watch this musical a long time ago but I remember it so vividly. It has far from left my memory. Les Miserables is full of highs and lows, and the magic of it is that the spectators are drawn into those highs and lows, feeling ready to cry for joy at some points and out of sadness at another point. This performance is magnificent, I cannot enforce this enough. The main characters each have their own little toils which they have to deal with and one finds oneself siding with a particular character. I found myself siding with Eponine wishing and hoping... Read review

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Advantages: Cosmpolitan compared to its neighbours
Disadvantages: Parking can be difficult and expensive; small beach when tide is in

...We paid a brief visit to Les Sables last week as part of our holiday to the Vendee. Having been advised that parking in Les Sables was awful in the summer we parked in La Chaume - across the river where it was free and hopped on to the little water taxi to get across to Les Sables. A one way ticket cost 0.89 euro and the journey was literally a minute! This is obviously a popular service with both locals and tourists alike although wasn't particularly well signed so unless you've read a good guide book visitors wouldn't necessarily know of the service. In direct comparison to La Chaume the seafront at Les Sables was well geared up for the holiday maker with lots of pleasant landscaping and clothes shops. It certainly had more of a cosmopolitan air than other towns down the coastline and appeared to be a mecca to the beach goer... Read review

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Advantages: Image, Sound, Build Quality, Scott Gorham/Thin Lizzy, Feelgood Factor
Disadvantages: Weight, Neck Access, Spares Availability

...I bought my wine red Les Paul Standard 10 years ago (approx). It was my first professional quality instrument and just by playing and owning it, I felt as though my ability had jumped by a factor of 10 and my instant rock star pose value just shot off the scale. Plus, the most under-rated guitarist, from one of the best rock bands of all time played one – Scott Gorham of Thin Lizzy. Nowadays, Slash from GNR plays one that looks almost identical. It cost me £600 at the time !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Playing in a punk/RnB outfit meant that the LP looked a bit “Rolls Royce” for the Damned/Sex Pistols/Dr Feelgood covers we were kicking out, so to punk it up a bit I took the scratch plate off. This made it look really cool although stupidly I’ve since lost all trace of the dang thing………D’OH... Read review

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Advantages: Affordable, Reasonable quality, Versatile.........Its Pretty!!
Disadvantages: Heavy, Poor electronics, Poor Tuners

...My experience: Ive had my Epiphone Les Paul for 10 years or so now, and ive been playing for 13 years. I play lots of different styles, from.. Clapton, Radiohead, Jeff Buckley, System of a Down, Placebo, even some Destinys child and a bit of old country classics... I use a Zoom Player 3000 straight into my p.c for all my recording (although im gonna get a decent amp and mic the thing, and a different guitar too).I dont play in a band, i work as a solo musician, so this guitar doesnt get gigged..............yet! Construction and Hardware; The overall construction of the les paul seem good enough, even after 10 years its still solid as a rock, with no cracks and hardly any scratches to this day. I guess being epiphone not Gibson: its not gonna have quite the same finish, but when i give her a good buffing, she still turnes heads... Read review

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Advantages: Traditional Les Paul (LP) Looks, Cheap, Lighter than its LP counterparts
Disadvantages: Cheap Construction, Less Sustain

...The Gibson Les Paul is iconic in the music world, although we all cannot afford the £2000 + prices that are being charged for them, and Gibson realised this, so they created a sister company, Epiphone, who produced cheaper models of the Gibson range, available to beginners and intermediates, who didn't want to shell out thousands on a first guitar. The model I bought was an "Epiphone Les Paul 100" Basically, this thing has your classic Les Paul looks with a thinner body and open coil humbuckers. Out of the box what you get is a solid body Alder top and Mahogany body guitar, with two Epiphone open coil Humbuckers (Bridge and Neck). Mahogany neck with rosewodd fingerboard and dot inlays, teamed with jumbo frets. Chrome Hardware, tune-o-matic bridge and stop tailpiece, 4 knobs (2 Volume, 2 Tone) and a 3-way pick up selector switch... Read review

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Advantages: reasonably priced, easy to play, great sound
Disadvantages: not quite a gibson

...When it comes to buying guitars, there's a lot of discrepancy about who makes the best guitars, who has the best sound, which guitar looks cooler...... the list goes on. The main argument seems to be whether Gibson or Fender are the better manufacturer. For me it has to be Gibson! The Les Paul it just oozing with style and quality, and it's a privilege to own one! believe me! A Gibson Les Paul standard in this day and age would probably set you back a whopping £1500 at the least! So it's good to know that you can get the next best thing for a lot cheaper. Epiphone guitars are a branch of the Gibson brand, and so are manufactured for sound and quality, but dont have quite the same 'ingredients'. The Epiphone Les Paul comes in a number of different styles including the standard. This has all the main features of the equivalent Gibson... Read review

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