Epiphone Les Paul Standard – Cherry Sunburst (1997, Korea Unsung) with Hard Case
Price: £450 including hard case – SOLD
Description:
The Les Paul is an iconic guitar used by many guitar heroes over the years. This is a fantastic example of the beautifully constructed Epiphone Les Paul Standard in classic Cherry Sunburst, built in April 1997 at the highly regarded Unsung factory in Korea.
Korean-made Epiphones from the Unsung plant (typically identified by the “U” prefix in the serial number) are often considered part of the “golden era” of Epiphone manufacturing. These guitars are widely respected for their build quality, consistency and craftsmanship, with many players praising their resonance, feel and overall reliability. Over the years, they have developed a strong reputation as serious value instruments that, when properly set up, can comfortably rival far more expensive modern Gibsons in both playability and tone.
Now approaching 30 years old, this guitar is in fine condition for its age and has clearly been very well looked after. Naturally, over time, it has picked up a few very minor cosmetic bumps, marks and light scratches, however these are far less than would typically be expected on a guitar of this vintage. These are all purely cosmetic and do not in any way affect the structure or playability. Having bought and sold many Epiphones, it’s fair to say most examples with far fewer years of use show significantly more wear than this one. All cosmetic details have been shown as clearly as possible in the photos and video, highlighted under direct lighting.
This guitar has mojo! There is a lovely sense of natural ageing across the guitar, with oxidation and some pitting to the hardware, the kind of authentic wear that only comes with time and use, and something that many players actively look for, a guitar with character for sure. While other custom shops may try to replicate this aging artificially, there’s nothing quite like the real thing.
The guitar has had replacement tuners fitted for improved reliability and performance. The original machine heads are included in the sale; one of which was damaged beyond practical repair. The remaining units were also beginning to show signs of wear, so replacing them was the sensible choice. The new tuners were drop in tuners so no additional holes were made, and the originals/or age correct replacements could always be put back in.
It has also undergone a full refurbishment and professional setup, including cleaning of all parts, fretboard conditioning, pots & switch cleaning, and has been restrung with a fresh set of D’Addario strings (9–42 gauge). It plays beautifully with a comfortable low action and feels exactly how a well-played, well-maintained Les Paul should.
Included in the sale is an era correct Freestyle hard case. While cosmetically it has seen better days, it remains fully functional and will do its job in protecting the guitar during storage and transport.
These late ‘90s Unsung-made Epiphones are becoming increasingly harder to find, especially in this kind of condition, so don’t let this one slip by, examples like this don’t come up often.
Other than the minor cosmetic signs of age mentioned above, this is a well-built, mature Korean-made Epiphone that deserves to continue to be played and enjoyed.
This is not a case queen, but it’s a clean, honest example with real character. I can assure you, if this becomes your new axe, you will not be disappointed!
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to ask.
Condition: Used but in good condition for its age
Price: £450 with hardcase
Shipping available
Link to eBay listing: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/168342771912
Buy with confidence – Here are some of my latest customer feedback:
eBay Item: Epiphone Les Paul Standard 50s (Late 2019) “Inspired by Gibson” Vintage Sunburst
Excellent and trustworthy seller. Top tier communication and customer service. Speedy dispatch and delivery and safely packaged. Guitar looks and plays great. Delighted with purchase. Would buy from again.
eBay Item: Epiphone Les Paul ES Hollow Body Cherry Sunburst 2001 (Unsung factory, Korea)
Beautiful instrument, exactly as described, and arrived very promptly and so well packed the set up and tuning was still spot on. Excellent communication from the vendor keeping apprised through as to what stage the packing and dispatch had reached.
eBay Item: Epiphone Les Paul Traditional PRO-II – Sunburst (2016) with Active Circuit
Great condition, better than described. Well packaged and reasonable postage. Good communication. Perfect transaction.
eBay Item: Gibson Premium Softcase Les Paul – SG – Black
Great guitar case, exactly as described and delivered the next day!! Thank you.
eBay Item: Les Paul 50’s style wiring harness upgrade – Best Components USA CTS/SoZo
Excellent item and very fast delivery , very pleased thanks. 5 STAR !!
Reverb Item: Epiphone Les Paul Custom Classic PRO 2014 Ebony / Black 2014 – Gibson USA Pickups
Absolutely perfect, seller extremely friendly and helpful – Rapid shipping and packaging was nothing short of perfect. If I’m ever in the market for another guitar I know what my first stop will be. Cannot recommend enough.
eBay Item: Epiphone Les Paul Standard – Cherry Sunburst 2009 Unsung Factory & Gator Fitted Hardcase for Les Paul (024)
I’m very happy with this guitar. The whole transaction was smooth and the seller was a pleasure to deal with. Thanks very much Perfect thank you very much just the job
eBay Item: Marshall Lead 12 (Year: 1990). Sympathetically modified for an external speaker
Sounds ace
eBay Item: Epiphone Les Paul Standard in Ebony (Black) 2012
Absolutely over the moon with my purchase. Very professional seller. Bought on Sunday arrived Tuesday with brilliant packaging too. Highly recommend this seller. Staying in touch ever step of the way too. Item as described and very good value for money. Many thanks Ben. Hope to do business again
eBay Item: Epiphone Les Paul Standard in Cherry Sunburst 2005
Guitar has played absolutely excellently at past couple of gigs and looks stunning ! (Has received several compliments!) The seller was quick to dispatch the guitar and it was packaged perfectly, they also maintained thorough and transparent communication throughout the transaction and were kind enough to include a quality hard case for a great price, no complaints here +++
eBay Item: Danelectro DC12 – 12 String Guitar Black with Cream body sides – c.1998 with Bag
Brilliant ebayer, great item, great communication, fast dispatch and delivery.
eBay Item: Fender USA Stratocaster 1987 in Olympic White Maple Fingerboard
First things first, excellent communication and quick turnaround. The packaging was A1 – absolutely first class. trust me, I can instantly tell when someone knows what they are doing. The guitar was exactly as described, absolutely spot on with axcellent photo’s which really help. All in all, it’s been an absolute pleasure to deal with Sosbro and would 100% reccomend.
eBay Item: Epiphone Les Paul Custom – Ebony Fingerboard (new spec) in Alpine White
Great seller, fast postage, item as described & great communication. Thank you
eBay Item: Epiphone Les Paul Custom – Black – Ebony Fingerboard
Fantastic communication, speedy delivery. Thank you, son is very very happy!
Reverb Item: Marshall Lead 12 (MK1) – Modified to allow for an external cab to be connected
My Second purchase from this super shop! The amp arrived bang on time & well wrapped. A Very fast posting service indeed! It is in nice, clean & tidy condition & works very well. Overall a superbly pleasing & top quality Reverb shopping experience. Top marks.