Les Paul Concert Ukulele, Vintage Sunburst with Gig Bag

This is my first ukulelel. I currrently own a small variety of guitars which provide me with the ability to indulge myself in many different types of music. So my main interest for purchasing a ukulele in the first place had to do with it's reputation for being a natural party instrument. I had this preconceived opinion towards all ukulele's as part toy part musical instrument part joke. The Epiphone "Les Paul" is definitely no joke. Actually it is a very serious musical instrument that is made to the same high standards you would expect from it's mother company "Gibson". This ukulele makes playing songs during a party so much more fun than any of my guitars. It's an instrument that can make any song sound new and refreshing. It plays very clear and clean and draws people to it's positive upbeat sound. It's the most fun I have ever had playing a musical instrument. If you were wondering if it's worth the money all I can say is that it's worth double the amount. It will put a twinkle in your eye, a spring in your step, and joy in your heart. It looks great, it plays great, and it sounds great. Oh did I mention that it will make you very popular. You need not wonder if this is the ukulele for you, trust me it is. You won't regret it.

* SHIPPING. The Epiphone comes wrapped in protective foam, inside a gig bag, which is inside a sturdy standard tri-shaped box, which is itself shipped inside a HUGE box twice its size and totally surrounded by sturdy bubble plastic. That huge box is then inside yet ANOTHER huge box. Honestly, to protect this better they'd have had to contact Tony Stark. It would take real skill and intent to damage this thing in shipping. EXCELLENT job. 5 stars on that alone. * SIZE. Overall length 24". Fretboard 10". Nut to bridge 15". So good overall medium-size. I like that it's a bit larger than a 20-21" soprano uke. It is "concert" size (which I greatly prefer over soprano. Frankly, I'd like to see a baritone version). The 24" length is an excellent size for both adult and youth / child fingers. * QUALITY. From stern to port, this instrument shines. Beautifully lacquered flawless finish, protective edging, plastic finger-guard (which itself was guarded in adhesive plastic), solid neck screw-joined to heavy-wood body. The whole unit is heavy-wood and very durable. Nevertheless the sound is quite good. The tuners are acceptable quality (nothing amazing, but they work well). The frets are actual metal and not molded into the fingerboard like cheap ukes. The amp-jack is chrome-metal back-plated to the body; it's NOT coming loose. Strap holders are already mounted, saving users the hassle. And of course, the impressive EPIPHONE and LES PAUL signature stamps on the head for sheer class. * SOUND. I found this to sound as good as most ukes right out of the box, despite the fact it's pretty solid-wood electric (I expected it to sound dull. It doesn't.) But I still bought a set of d'Addario strings (a brand I've loved for years) and according to other reviews here expect the sound to improve significantly once those are added. * ACTION. I've rarely seen a purchased instrument that has perfect action off the shelf and this is no exception. The action is fairly high (not uncommon with off-the-shelf instruments). One will need to remove the strings (keep them for emergency spares), file down the bridge bottom (easily done with a flat surface and sandpaper) and add a new set of quality strings. I'm a perfectionist when it comes to action (as are most players I know), so this will be tweaked. * DURABILITY. It's very durable. That counts for the gig bag too. No cheap "tent nylon" there-- but thick nylon that will really resist tearing. As others mentioned I'd still look for a decent hard case; they average under $40. A good instrument is worth protecting. But I'd say this could take some real punishment and still play well-- not that I'd go bashing it against a stage floor. That would be goofy. * WEIRD SUGGESTION: Hang on to the box it comes in. It makes a great temporary "hard shell" case. It's made of rather sturdy cardboard and does a pretty good job of protecting the uke. Great for hauling around in your car if you can't shell out for a shell. Seriously... that is some stiff cardboard. Protects well. : ) * ELECTRONICS. The sound is clear. Sadly there is no volume/tone control, no battery to preamp, and thus the signal to the amp was quite low. They could have done better on that end. But wow, at this price how can one gripe? Two solutions to this: 1) Open up the end plate and totally replace the electronics with something better (including a tone and volume knob somewhere accessible). That's the tricky way. 2) Put a preamp on this. You can buy one here on Amazon for about 15 bucks. If you have a mini-mixer you can do the same thing with that. Even with that little extra expense you'll come out ahead. Aside from the passive electronics... this is a PRIME instrument. Considering what you get for the price... I don't think this can be beat. Unfortunately, my extra-long fingers find this size somewhat difficult to play... something I didn't consider when ordering a uke. But that's a physical difficulty and no fault of the instrument. The product itself is excellent.

I didn't realize this is a Concert size ukulele. I prefer an Alto, but I like this one anyway. It's a beautiful looking instrument and has all the quality that Epiphone always delivers. I used to buy nothing but Fender, but I love Epiphone now too. Like another reviewer wrote, I removed the stupid pick guard using a heat gun, then used WD-40 to remove the glue residue, followed by isopropol alcohol to remove the WD-40 oil. The body is a bit like a cigar box so it doesn't have a lot of tone, but the neck and headstock are very hefty and well made. Acoustically it has a very "plinky" sound, as a Concert size, but the microphone makes it sound pretty nice when connected to an amp with effects. I haven't replaced the strings yet, as some reviewers have mentioned, but I do have some better quality ones that I'll use. It's just that the body is such a little box I don't think you're going to get much quality no matter what. Oh, and you definitely need a strap for this. The neck is very good weight and feel, but the body is very light, so it's unbalanced and almost impossible to play without a strap to hold it in a decent playing position. Lastly, I only gave this four stars because of the odd balance and the plinky sound. Otherwise, it's a great instrument and I love Epiphone.

This little instrument is far more capable than I could have imagined. The eye-catching Les Paul design is nothing short of adorable. I must admit that I grinned like a giddy little schoolboy when I first saw Les' iconic signature on the headstock. The slightly unnecessary pickguard is included to complete the Les Paul look, but it will certainly protect the beautiful flamed maple top from hours of enthusiastic strumming. There are a few very minor cosmetic flaws, but it is well-constructed for an assembly line instrument. The thin profile and solid wood construction make it less resonant than a standard acoustic ukulele, but the Piezo passive pickup is quite capable when it's plugged in. I ran it through a tube amplifier—with a healthy dose of reverb and overdrive—and was pleasantly surprised. Many of the gripes mentioned in the less than favorable reviews are easily remedied with a few simple modifications. As with any other factory-built instrument, it will require minor setup. The action was a bit brutal, so I lowered the bridge a few centimeters and replaced the strings right out of the box. I am particular to the Aquila Super Nylgut sets, but any quality strings will do. Martin, Worth, and D'Addario come to mind. This is a great little instrument that feels great in your hands and plays like a dream once you've adjusted everything to your liking.

I purchased this on a whim last summer as a conversation piece. It is fun to see the looks in peoples eyes when you say you own a electric ukulele. It is beautiful to look at and fun to play. But the strings that come on it are horrible. Buy new strings for this when you purchase it. I did not heed the warning on this. Soon seeing the error of my ways I purchased new strings and it sounds a lot better. It is easy to play and sounds like a ukulele plugged into a amp. If you are looking for big sound have a big amp because this ukulele has no tone or on board volume controls. Over all it is fun to play and a great conversation piece. Just remember the strings man.

I love my little Les Paul Ukulele! The body is solid and feels like there is a little something to hold on to, and the finish is beautiful. I play in a folk band so it is perfect for what I need it for (and in the right price range). Also many times at shows people just think it's a tiny guitar since it's such a known design and that is always a good laugh for me. The strings are not the greatest, but rarely stock strings are so I quickly replaced those. I looked for a long time at different Ukuleles to find one I thought would be nice but still practical for taking on the road and I'm very happy with my decision on this one! It doesn't have a volume control on it which would make it beyond perfect if it did, but I have currently had no problems just controlling that with an amp. I have also not had any issues using it to play acoustic sets I like the full sound I get from it. If you are looking for a budget friendly uke like I was this is a great option!

Let me start with what little gripes I have: The uke came in two boxes -- kind of a Russian doll situation where you open one box only to find a slightly smaller box. The one on the inside said "fragile" while the one on the outside was mostly blank. The uke was thankfully not damaged in the shipping process, but this struck me as a bit nonsensical and created some anxiety during the unboxing process. As others have noted, the factory strings are complete garbage. They were satisfying to play at first, simply because I was so excited to start playing, but I quickly replaced them with some nylgut Aquila Concert strings and the sound quality jumped tremendously. Other than that, I have absolutely nothing bad to say about this product. This is my first uke, but I'm no stranger to stringed instruments and I can tell that it's very finely crafted. It feels great, sounds amazing, and with the plethora of tutorials available on Youtube, I can already jam all day with various chord progressions and strumming patterns after just a few short hours of practice. Despite a different tuning, guitar skills translate nicely as many chord shapes and scale patterns are quite similar. I imagine this would make the perfect instrument for a beginner. If you're thinking about buying this, just do it. Trust me. Also, I've yet to plug it in to my amp just yet. I will update this review eventually.

Thought I ordered the red trimmed but got black. Ok, it's pretty too. No volume control on instrument but that's ok. Original strings ok not horrible. Get a snark clip-on tuner, they're great and cheap and you will need to use it all the time as these nylon strings stretch. I tell people it's my soprano guitar. Easy to play. Easy to learn...go to You Tube and search for "ukulele tutorial". Get a Pyle 500w amp to go with it. Excellent. 4 plugins plus an included wireless mic. Cheap. Battery or AC. Also I got a $49 special effects foot pedal...super fun. Makes amp even louder. Buy a uke strap, guitar straps are a little too long.

Lovely feel. Easy to play and change chord hand positions. Very good weight and looks amazing. When plugged sounds even better!!!

Cumple con lo indicado, muy bien producto

Ukulele fantastico, sono una novellina ma ha un bel suono ed è costruito bene. Impacchettato a dovere per evitare danni durante il trasporto. Unico difetto è che l'aletta bianca attaccata sulla cassa, risulta leggermente scollata. Per il resto, monta corde aquila ed è un piacere anche solo guardarlo per quanto è bello! Rapporto qualità prezzo, ottimo. Consiglio l'acquisto.

Es mi primer ukelele y me decanté por él por el respaldo de una marca como Epiphone y por su diseño. Está bien construído, con buenos acabados. A destacar el mástil atornillado. Incluye una funda muy práctica para transportarlo. El packaging perfecto, el instrumento llega muy bien protegido. Para mí tiene un sonido más que aceptable, tanto enchufado como sin enchufar. En definitiva, creo que es una buena elección para empezar en el mundo del ukelele.

A beautiful instrument with high quality construction. Amazing sound when plugged into an amp. Does not require batteries as indicated in Amazon listing. Did not work when plugged into a powered speaker. An amp is required. The strings are low quality but fine to learn on. In particular, the C string goes out of tune frequently. Small problem with an easy remedy of string replacement.