By Tonestack 

The best bang for the buck in a Les Paul-style guitar today has to be the Edwards line from ESP.  My Lemon Drop E-LP-90LTS is nicer than all of the new sub-$3K Gibson Les Pauls that I have played.   I purchased it directly from Ishibashi Music in Japan (they ship via EMS).  ESP changed the model number to E-LP-98LTS and jacked up the price a little bit; however, the guitar is still a steal.  My Edwards Les Paul has a one-piece body and a long-tenon neck.


Here is a picture of the E-LP-90LTS (LTS = Lacquer Taste Les Paul Standard): http://www.ishibashi.co.jp/webshop/guitar/esp/edwards/elp90lts.htm


Inquiries can be made via the e-mail address at this URL: http://www.ishibashi-music.com/

Ishibashi lists 78,400 yen as the webshop price.  The yen is up from a few days ago.  Currently one yen equals roughly a penny, which means that the guitar costs approximately $784.00.   Now, shipping is quite expensive.   I paid $120.00 to ship the guitar via EMS from Japan to the U.S. almost two years ago.  This delivery method seems to escape the tax man.  The exchange rate was much better two years ago, and the guitar sold for 72,000 yen at that time.  

 By Sancho

They're quite cheap. An Edwards John Sykes signature costs about as much as an Epi LP Custom. But it has a bone nut and Seymour Duncans.

By Eclipse II

I have an Edwards Les Paul copy. Cheap as chips - great guitar!