Buying new isn't a bad thing at all. No wear, no mystery history, no wondering how the previous owner treated it. This isn't about saying new is wrong. It's about going in with your eyes open so you can make the smartest decision for where you're at.
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Someone had to say it. Take the pickguard off your Les Paul! It doesn't matter if it's an Epiphone or a Gibson. You can spend thousands of dollars on these guitars and then cover up the best looking part with a twenty dollar piece of plastic.
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When ESP announced the EC-1000 Granite Sparkle at NAMM 2026, I knew right away I had to have one. I had already played the E-II Eclipse in Granite Sparkle and loved the look, but that one is full thickness with no contoured heel.
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The ESP E-II Eclipse has become one of the most refined modern single-cut guitars you can buy right now.
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Whether you are buying your first electric guitar or you are stuck wondering why nothing you play feels quite right, my goal here is to help you make a confident choice without overthinking it or wasting money along the way.
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By Nick Neumann – Updated February 8, 2026 A practical guide on buying for your first, second, or long-term acoustic....
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This comparison didn’t start as an attempt to find a “Gibson killer.” It started with me coming back to guitar after roughly a 17 year break. On paper, the LTD EC-1000T and EC-1000T CTM and the Gibson Les Paul Modern seem to compete in the same space.
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Today I want to share my thoughts on the Epiphone Inspired by Gibson Les Paul Custom in Cobra Burst, specifically the Sweetwater exclusive version. Not to be confused with the cheaper Guitar Center exclusive.
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Buying guitars online can be exciting! Sometimes you score a deal on a rare model you’d never see in a local shop. But it can also be risky and my most recent purchase on eBay reminded me of that.
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Every once in a while, you stumble across a guitar that feels like it slipped through the cracks. For me, that’s the Korean-made Fender Showmaster. Built at the Cort factory between roughly 2003 and 2009, these guitars represent Fender’s most serious attempt at a modern, high performance, non-traditional design outside the Custom Shop.
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