

Unlike the other guitars on this list, the Junior isn't concerned with a fancy carved top, binding, or even two pickups, for that matter. Conceived initially as a student model and later picked up by countless punk and rock players, the Les Paul Junior is famed for its no-nonsense playability and spikey tone. There is something so elegantly simple about a Les Paul Junior. So if you’re looking for a pure Les Paul tone, with none of the flashy extras, then the Studio is the perfect choice for you. The other options are Smokehouse Burst, Wine Red, and Ebony. It's great to see a few new colors available, with the Alpine White giving you the option of channeling your inner Frank Iero or Jade Puget. The coil-split option also means the Studio lives up to its name as the perfect recording partner. Straying slightly from the other models on this list, the Studio is equipped with the Alnico Classic PRO pickup set, which offers a somewhat different flavor from the standard ProBucker found on the other models. This Epiphone version has the exact same mission statement, offering players the thunderous LP tone they're searching for in a no-nonsense, affordable package. Originally released in '83 as a stripped-down alternative to the flashy Les Paul Standard, the Studio offered the same great tone, without all the bells and whistles. The Les Paul Studio has gone on to develop an identity all of its own.
