PRS to Replace Epiphone LP Standard Pro

[Mlcurrie179]

Hey everyone! I recently purchased a 2018 Tremonti and love it. I have always purchased the high (low end) versions of squire and Epiphone thinking there wasn’t much difference beside resale. Boy was I wrong!

quick question.... if I want to get the LP tone is the Se 245 or custom 22 the best options? I really like the new colors of the custom 22 but want to maintain the LP sound. Can you give me recommendations on a PRS under 1k that I can get in blue or something other than sunburst?
Or is my Tremonti the LP replacement ? I’m a 20 year newbie guitar player so please take it easy lol

 

[RallyFanatic]

Vintage LP tones would be the SE 245. The SE Custom 22 has a trem and weighs less, and the 85/15s pickups have a different sound so ballpark but not quite the same. If you wanted to save up a few extra dollars, the S2 594 would also be great - but you are in Gibson LP territory there price-wise. The SE Pauls Guitar is worth checking out as well!

 

[AP515]

The Tremonti will have hotter pickups that an LP type tone. I agree the SE245 will put you in LP territory. I put Seth lovers in my LP replacement and I like them there.

 

[El Fenix]

Zach Myers or S2 594

I've had an Epiphone Les Paul Standard new since 96. Love the independent volumes and tones on any guitar.

 

[HANGAR18]

Stop buying so many guitars and get the right guitar the first time. A core line PRS McCarty 594 is a lot cheaper than having a revolving door on your guitar collection for the next 10 years. Buy one, keep it, play it.

If you don't have the discipline to do that, then yes, try for the S2 594, or at the very least an SE series 245.

 

[goat-n-gitter]

I'm with HANGAR18 here. Save up and buy a core 594. S2's are very good, but core PRS can be lifetime keeper guitars. The ones you have now are perfectly adequate tools to hold you over until you can afford to splurge.

 

[aphantomvaper]

The recommendation is to not buy more PRS? Say it isn't so!

Rock out with a 245 Standard is my recommendation. You can find them cheaper than the Epi.

Then start saving for your next PRS, it may be a Core but I doubt you'll last that long. Another $.02 from your friendly neighborhood APV.

 

[RickP]

I don’t own any SE or S2 guitars, but the ones I’ve played have been much better playing (and looking) guitars than their price tag suggests. The Tremonti, as some stated, is a hot rodded LP sound. If you’re looking to stay in the SE range, the 245 is a good fit overall, with the same scale and control layout as the classic Gibson.

At double the entry price, the S2 594 is still an option, but you could buy a used genuine LP in the same range if that’s what you want. As you said you were new to all this, I’ll point out that there are a wide range of factory installed Les Paul pickups over the years, and other than having the general humbucker tone there is a lot of variation in pickup “hotness” even in just the actual Les Paul line.

If you’re digging the Tremonti, a pickup swap might be your cheapest option. But you have lots of options, and I doubt you’d be disappointed with that 245.

 

[Mlcurrie179]

Awesome! Thanks for everyone’s feedback!