Ah, Epiphone. You’d think I’d have strong feelings about this company, owned by Gibson, one way or another. But like many, I’d say I have mixed feelings. On one hand, despite all of the talk online about how an Epiphone Les Paul is just as good as a Gibson Les Paul, it simply isn’t true. There’s a difference in quality that beginners might not feel but most experienced players do. There’s also the fact that I’ve never much enjoyed the Epiphone pickup line – to me, they pretty much all sound muddy.
But it is also true that they cost 1/4 the price of a standard GLP, they look pretty similar, and if you put better pickups in them, they’ll sound very similar. Close enough that people won’t know the difference unless they look at the headstock. And you can usually find one used for around $300, which is impossible in the Gibson range.
People have asked this question: Is the DC Pro basically just an Epiphone Les Paul with a double cutaway and 24 frets? And the answer is yes.
The Good
It’s a wonderful looking guitar. It plays decently, as long as the action isn’t set too low. Having 24 frets is an improvement for sure, as is the belly cut. If you don’t much care for the Les Paul shape but you want something good looking and affordable, this is a decent choice. The ProBucker pickups use alnico II magnets, but the bridge pickup is slighter hotter than the neck. Some people dig the ProBucker sound.
The Bad
I’m not one of them. They’re not terrible. They’re OK. But they lack the clarity of a lot of other alnico II pickups. The action was set pretty low on the guitar I checked out, and the high E string had a sitar-like quality that comes from bouncing off the top of the frets. Raise the action to something reasonable and this guitar would play OK. But unless you get really lucky, you’re not likely to get away with really low action. To be fair, there aren’t too many new guitars in the $500 range that can handle very low action.
The Ugly
The worst thing I can say about this guitar is that it’s a poor man’s double cutaway Les Paul. Which is funny, because it’s $550, which is a lot of money if you’re poor. I know plenty of people who would consider this a really nice instrument. The $500 price range used to be awesome – you could get a used American Strat or a Gibson Les Paul Tribute for a little bit more. Those days are mostly gone.
But I can’t and won’t bash this guitar. The only thing I’d say is this: if you want one of these, look at the used market. There’s going to be some buyer’s remorse from people who buy these, and that can knock $100 off the price. Just plan on setting it up yourself or paying someone else to set it up.
Would I rather have this, or a customary Epiphone Les Paul? Tough to say. If I were doing studio work, I think I might opt for a regular Les Paul. But if I were playing gigs, I’d go with the DC Pro. It’s more comfortable to play.
The Bottom Line
The bottom line is that this is an entry level good guitar. If you’re serious about playing, this is a good guitar to start with. If you’re on a budget, this guitar is good enough to play professionally. I’d recommend a setup and a pickup upgrade, but if you dig the guitar, it’s a decent choice. You might even pay for a pro level/crown setup and upgrade the pickups, and you would basically have a pro guitar.
