Epiphone Limited Edition Bjorn Gelotte "Jotun" Les Paul Custom Outfit

Some guitars you want just because they look cool, and this is one of them.

I have absolutely no idea who Bjorn Gelotte is. Not a clue. All I care about here is the guitar, and this Epiphone Bjorn Gelotte "Jotun" Les Paul Custom really, really gets it right.

It is typically true that white guitars look awful. It's also typically true that a Les Paul without pick guard doesn't look that good either. But this guitar however looks absolutely stunning in white and without the guard.

First of all, I'll note the thing you don't see in the above photo but will show below, the gold binding:

That binding is all sorts of pretty. It matches up with the gold hardware and gold knobs perfectly.

This is one seriously elegant looking Les Paul. Very ritzy tuxedo style look all around.

How does it sound? I've no idea. What I do know is that yes, it does have active EMG pickups in it (there is a battery cover on the rear of the guitar,) so you can take from that what you will. It also has premium grade Grover Rotomatic tuners on it, which are the best tuners a 'Paul can have as far as I'm concerned.

The only complaint I have about this guitar is the white "poker chip" on the pickup selector switch as I think that detracts from the overall look. However, that chip can be removed easily, so it's really not a big deal.

Actually, I do have one other complaint. That gold hardware finishing is guaranteed to wear off over time with regular play, particularly where the hand rests on the bridge and on the bass side of the pickups. That's totally normal wear for guitars with gold hardware and there's no way to prevent that.

I'm not a Les Paul guy and certainly not a fan of active electronics, but I still think this guitar is great and would be proud to own one. Very, very nice look all around.

Published 2018 Feb 5